There are some Creatures, born into this Difficult Existence, who are endowed with the Hearts of Puppies. Even if those Creatures Suffer, their Hearts remain Joyful, Young, Open and Kind.
So it is with my Very Own Heart. And, so it is with the Hearts of my Joyful Friends, Mpaji and Xianning.
There are also some Creatures in this Difficult Existence with whom, upon crossing paths, we feel an immediate connection. It is as if we have known and played with this Creature before. Our Hearts Take Flight and begin the Joyous Games anew.
So it is with the Puppy Hearts of Myself and my Joyful Friends. I would like to tell you the stories of how those Three Hearts Joined and Took Flight.
Cinco’s Heart:
I must admit that my Heart was Sorely Exhausted when I arrived at Lovely Scenic Harbor Condominiums. After enduring the Early Years of Suffering and Uncertainty, I merely wished to Rest, Recuperate and Relish the love of my Golden Companions.
I spent the majority of my first months in San Diego on my Sheltered Balcony overlooking the Garden. There, I breathed in the familiar but slightly altered smells of Overgrowth and Ocean Air in Safety and Comfort.
And, I was Content.
I idled my days away chatting with Bella and Django and listening to Toki tell Neighborhood Tales from our respective balconies. Kota, my Very Scientific Gecko Friend Down the Hall, also popped in from time to time, although we didn’t really meet regularly until I started exploring the Neighborhood.
Bella and Django introduced me to Big Daddy Diamond and his huge Mourning Dove Family; ELMPA – the Lord of the Mockingbirds; Nocturnal Ned – the young Mockingbird who sings at night in defiance of ELMPA; Coop the baby Cooper Hawk; Ollie Oriole and his brood; plus many more of the Feathered Kind Silent Sue eschews.
Toki, who lives beneath me and knows every Wild Kind Land Creature in the Neighborhood, introduced me to Flower, Durian and their Skunk family, whose home is in the Garden Burrow. I was glad they were not the Armed Rodents I knew from the Forests of Turkey – Kota calls them “Porcupines.” I discovered, however, when I had a run-in with Flower’s Irritable Sister, Daisy, that Skunks too are Armed, and there is much to fear from their Chemical Weapons.
Over the course of the months I also met Reynard Fox, who passes Mpaji on his way to bed as she is climbing the hill to start our day; Pete the Possum who I mistook at first for a gigantic Hedgehog (Kota has assured me that there are no Land Creatures with spines that can hurt me in San Diego – only Ocean Creatures and Plants); and Rocky the Raccoon – who looks like a compact and muscular Polecat and is just as fierce.
And, I was Content.
When summer arrived and the sun angled uncomfortably onto my Balcony, I shifted the majority of my time to the Foyer. There, I breathed in the increasingly familiar scents of Simon, Chloe (who has moved away) and the Neighborhood Pack as they visited the Scenic Harbor Message Board. I also began to make the acquaintance, at least by scent, of some of my Human Neighbors.
There were two Humans, however, who I could smell occupying a condo halfway down the hall but whose scent rarely, if ever, passed my door. I would sometimes catch fresh whiffs of a recent passage of the female like a Will-O’-The-Wisp in the very early morning when my Dearest Friend Downstairs took me out to relieve myself.
But, I had only caught a glimpse of her once, when my Beloved Human had introduced me to her. She had been on the Hallway Balcony, and I had been down below on my Afternoon Promenade — not much of an Introduction for the Canine Kind.
Apparently, it wasn’t much of an Introduction for the Human Kind either, because on the Sunday when I finally met my Invisible Neighbor who would become My Very Good Friend Down the Hall, she called me Cinque, the Italian word for “five”
I was distracted contemplating why this Human would think I should be named the Italian word for five – “my Beloved human is a bit of an artist, so perhaps the Cinquecento…,” when I noticed that the Human had stopped and was kneeling beside my screen door at my level, gazing in at me with smiling eyes.
“Good morning, Cinque,” she whispered, since it was just barely 6 AM.
Even if she didn’t know my name, there was something about the way she looked and spoke to me. I stood and met her gaze through the grid, cocking my head.
She laughed quietly, “I can’t take you with me, my Friend. I wish I could.
I’m going on an Adventure, and there are some Special Dogs there. I’m headed out to Scoop some Poop at a Rescue Ranch.
Wish me luck. It’s the first Adventure I’ve tried since I left the Human World to become an Urban Hermit. I thought I was Content, but…”
Again, there was something about the way this Human looked and spoke to me, like we were Old Friends who had known each other a Very Long Time. A phrase from the Sufi Poet Hafez passed through my head as I gazed into her eyes and listened, "Your Heart and my Heart are Very, Very Old Friends."
She told me about how she, from a Very Young Age, had wanted to become a Hermit in her Golden Years, Living off of the Land and enjoying Solitude; how she had met the Human who would become her Husband who harbored a very similar goal; how they had realized that one could be Hermits much easier in an Urban Environment Living off of Delivery and enjoying Solitude; and how they had achieved their goal five years ago but she was no longer Content. She thought she might be missing something — Nature, Animals, Hard Work and maybe even Adventure.
I listened to her for a long time then watched her enter the elevator, settling back down to contemplate all that she had told me, the name “Cinque,” and Italian art. For some reason I felt a bit Restless, like I was ready for an Adventure.
I was waiting for my new Friend when she returned several hours later. She was Very Dirty and Sweaty, and she smelled of Barnyard Animals. I stood to greet her, wagging my tail as she exited the elevator. Again, she crouched at my door, right at my level.
“Hi, there. Did you have a good morning?”
I replied in the affirmative. I had enjoyed a nice restful Sunday morning contemplating the Cinquecento.
She answered, “Good. I’m glad. I sort of did. The animals were wonderful, and I loved getting to work hard. I was a bit uncomfortable with the Humans, however. I’ll guess I’ll get used to it.”
Every Sunday for the next few weeks my New Friend Down the Hall and I would chat as she set out for and returned from her Adventures. She radiated Joy, but I could smell Anxiety mixed with Sorrow. Like me, my new Friend was recovering from Suffering.
The Humans at the Rescue Ranch continued to be a barrier to enjoying the experience with the Animals. They were overwhelmed with all that they were doing and more than a bit Cranky.
As the summer heated up, my New Friend Down the Hall started to drive to the Rescue Ranch as early as possible on Sundays to avoid the High Temperatures and the Humans. She returned Hot and Happy, with stories of Puck, Tango, Savannah and her other Rescue Ranch Animal Friends.
I only saw her on Sunday mornings for many weeks. And, I began to look forward to those visits from my New Friend Down the Hall.
Then, one Monday morning in early July, there she was, kneeling beside my door with those smiling eyes!
“Wish me luck, Cinco,” she said – she knew my name by then.
“I’m going to join a Neighborhood Walking Group. It’s time to get over my discomfort with Humans.”
I was waiting for her when she returned. She was obviously Overjoyed and Bubbling with Excitement.
“Oh, Cinco. It was perfect. I think I made a Friend. Her name is Mpaji, and she is exactly like me but nothing like me. And, being with her is as easy as being with you. We were the only ones who showed up, and…”
My New Friend Down the Hall talked a very long time that morning and many mornings after that.
Mpaji’s Heart:
For the next few weeks, I saw my Friend Down the Hall three days during the week and Sundays. She would return from her visits with Mpaji smelling of the salt air and birds and Very, Very Happy.
Xianning never told me, nor anybody else, Mpaji’s story, but I came to understand that Mpaji had experienced Terrible Suffering during her Early Years just like I had — also that Xianning sometimes did not get to see her Friend Down the Hill because Mpaji suffered from a health condition in her Golden Years that caused her Terrible Pain and even more Suffering. Nevertheless, Xianning's New Friend Down the Hill radiated Kindness and Joy no matter how she was feeling.
One day Xiannng told me the secret to Mpaji’s Happiness. Mpaji wisely sheds the burdens of this Difficult Existence as soon as they fall upon her.
By not picking up the heavy weights of Resentment, Rage and Regret in her Early Years, Young Mpaji had been able to spread her wings and catch the winds of Forgiveness, Freedom and Fierce Joy that swirl from all of our Hearts. And, by seizing every precious moment no matter how poorly she feels, the Older Mpaji was Joyfully Soaring Through her Golden Years.
Sometimes my new Friend Down the Hall would return from her time with Mpaji much later in the day, smelling strongly of the Canine Kind. I came to understand that these Dog Scents originated from Annie and Duke, two Very Good Friends of Mpaji.
I also came to understand that Mpaji missed Annie and Duke Very, Very Much. And, while she was happy with her Marmalade Cat, Emma's, company in retirement, Mpaji just didn't feel Content without the Canine Kind in her life.
On the day I finally met Mpaji I knew Annie and Duke must miss her as well. She was everything Xianning had said and more.
Her eyes were the Kindest I have ever seen in the head of any Creature. And, there was a Playfulness in them that made my Puppy Heart Soar. It was as if it had joined with Mpaji’s the moment our Eyes met through my door.
I was no longer Content.
I wished for Adventure.
Why could I not become the Canine and Animal Companion my New Friends sought?
Xianning wished to be around Animals without Cranky Humans.
Mpaji wished for time with the Canine Kind.
And, I wished for Adventure.
My Golden Companions were Kind and Easy-going – not Cranky in the least.
I, Cinco, was both an Animal and a member of the Canine Kind.
And, from Xianning's stories, it appeared that there were plenty of Adventures on their morning walks.
It was a perfect arrangement.
I started to communicate my Desire to Xianning, standing and looking More and More Restless. It wasn't difficult. I was feeling More and More Restless.
Xianning finally got the message. In November, she sent her first email to my Beloved Human, offering to take me along on their Adventures.
And, so it was. The Three Hearts joined and Burst Forth in the Flight of Joy Xianning has recorded in my Chronicles.
In our Golden Years, we have found the miracle of Playmates and Friendships worthy of our Puppy Hearts. We are so very lucky.
And we, all three, are Quite Content.
Yes, my Human Companions all know that much can go wrong when one invites another's Animal along for Adventures. Allowing me to accompany the Joyous Companions on their outings is a daring act of faith and trust that we all take very seriously. It requires the best of intentions on one side and a forgiving heart on the other.
Do not assume cultural appropriation because Xianning's face does not match her name. While it is not the name registered for her in the Official Records, she has been called Xian Ning by many of the people she loves for the majority of her life. It was a name crafted for her by her Beloved Gu Ma and is, in reality, two names: Xian 仙 Ning 安寧, meaning peaceful fairy (or tranquil enlightened one).
Dogs can't see colors, but Humans may notice Xianning in a red hat. That hat is almost three decades old, has a light that still works, and belonged to her mother. She says to tell you that sometimes hats just happen to be red.
Mpaji's name is her legal name in the Official Government Documents, but only because she took the trouble to change it. It means "the Giver."
Yes, my Very Good Friend Down the Hill has a mohawk and wears wigs from time to time. I have asked her, but she has yet to let me style one for her.
Life may be messy and complex, but friendships are sometimes as straightforward as they seem. Humans, like Dogs, have enough room in your hearts to accommodate many different types of love. Trust yourselves.
Copyright © 2019 Cinco Stories, Cinco's Golden Tales - All Rights Reserved.