Thanks Blanco! 来年もよろしく。

As another year draws to the end, one cannot help but to reflect on the year that is soon to be over. Unfortunately, the year 2007 wasn't the best year for me, so in an attempt to think positively, I have decided to pay tribute to Blanco, my companion of 7.5 years.

During the holiday season, bookstores are filled with feel-good titles such as "Everything I Need to Know I Learned from My Dog" and "It's Okay to Miss the Bed on the First Jump: And Other Life Lessons I Learned from Dogs". Cheesy anecdotes aside, I have learned a great deal from my dog, and my horizons have been vastly expanded. Three things spring to mind in my reflection.

Patience: those who have known me for a long time have remarked how patient I have become over the years (though I know there's still lots of room for improvement!). Some attribute this to my partner, who is one of the most patient people I know, but I would tend to disagree! The ordeals we had to go through, especially when Blanco was a puppy--coming home to find the floor covered with excrement, waking up to see my favourite rug being chewed upon and completely ruined, and realizing that no matter how many times we tell him NOT to do something, a dog is more often than not governed by his whims--have taught us that although most things in life can be cleaned or replaced, there are certain things we simply have to learn to live with.

Time for pondering: although it can be a bit of a nuisance on busy mornings, my daily walks with Blanco have given me time to think: whether to plan for an important meeting, or to strategize how to deal with an unpleasant colleague. Often, though, I simply let my thoughts wander, an extremely extravagant way to spend half an hour each day.

Discover new things: the reason we know our neighbourhood so well is because of the walks we take with Blanco. However, I recently learned that I didn't know our neighbourhood as well as I'd thought: while taking Blanco for a walk, a stranger accosted me to ask for directions to a prison that I didn't know existed, right close to our house! Away from home, when we travel with Blanco, we usually spend a lot of time walking, thus we see things we would never have seen had we been on a bus, tram, or simply had stayed indoors. We have met many people through him--mostly other dog owners--but we are also often approached by total strangers when we are with him; curious children, tourists asking for directions, dog lovers, and beggars.

Thanks, Blanco, for all that you have given us. I am a better person thanks to you. Keep me happy and help me grow in the years to come.