It's Good to Be the King!

OK, so I'm NOT a king. But if Mel Brooks was king in a movie, and Ralph Kramden was the pseudo-king of his castle, and my Dad proclaimed himself the king of our apartment back home (God rest him...) then I can envision myself a some sort of king in some part of my world. Just not sure what part of the world that is as yet.

What does it mean to BE a king? Well, it depends upon your world view. Benevolent or dictator, we could get all sorts of info from Machiavelli's "The Prince."

Or, we could look to our Dizzy.

Dizzy believes himself to be the king in our household. In his mind's eye, the world is always about him. All things revolve around him. And if it's NOT about him, he's shocked, disappointed, dismayed, and is ready to offer his thin lipped look and give you--er, me--the Paw. Last night, coming in from work, he got the cold shoulder from me because of our little disagreement the night before. He moped for a very short period, and then ignored me altogether. So, I moped... Now THAT could be another post.

Yet when things go his way, look for jumping, licking, cuddling. Virtual ecstasy for this Doodle. "Treats? I'll do anything you want. A ride? Take me, take me! A walk? Anything for a poop! Frisbee? Anytime!"

He also loves his doggie day care, once a week. This can be rather costly, but the king needs his recreation. If English kings had falconry and foxhunts, King Diz has his Daycare and frisbee. He can't get enough of either one. The bank account, however, prefers the frisbee...

But overall, even though Dizzy Doodle shows signs of dictatorship, the bottom line is always benevolence. The love of this pooch cannot be described. Even when he and I are at odds, I know that what he wants is to love and give love. And even though this sometimes needs to be coaxed out with a treat or two, his love is truly fit for a king, or queen (my wife, not me!).

And maybe, that's the real lesson. The best kings are the ones that love their people, good bad and indifferent. Because if a king has no love for his people, then contempt will fill the void.

Dizzy offers unconditional love, even though he shows it in weird ways sometimes! Don't know what I'd do without Diz. Maybe he IS the king of our castle!

Peace on this Little Christmas!