There’s an old joke that if
aliens were to invade the planet, they would think dogs ruled over humans
because we clean up their waste, feed them, give them water, and seemingly get
nothing in return. So, aliens would assume humans were servants to dogs.
Peanut definitely has me trained
as her servant. When her water is empty, she nudges the cup against the wall so
I hear it and refill it. And if I don’t do it promptly, she just keeps on
nudging it. When she wants to go outside, she rings the bell as she was
trained, and she’s pretty incessant about it until I respond to her wish. She
knows exactly how to communicate what she needs, and she expects me to drop
everything and do it.
Biscuit has me trained in his own way. He has this one specific face he makes when he has finished his dinner, because after dinner he gets his homemade blueberry treat. It's his blueberry face. And he knows that if he wants attention for whatever reason, he can just hit me in the face and I'll give it to him.
The funny thing is, no matter how much I serve them...making homemade dinners and treats, cleaning up their poop...they don't really appreciate it. I mean sure, they love me and turn to me for care, but they don't appreciate the individual actions of service. In fact, when it comes to that homemade food, they wonder what's taking me so long. When I stop a walk to clean up their poop, they want me to keep going! My service is just too slow!
Despite this lack of appreciation, I take great joy in serving them. And I wonder...what if I had the same view of serving other people?
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