Tags
Our Liston days begin with walking the dogs, down the hill to the the dam where moorhens forage and ducks drag triangles behind them through reflections of tall gums. The grass grows scraggly and tussocky against the fence, and provides plenty of sniff experiences, even for two tethered dogs. But the tussock that attracts most attention is the lonely one in the middle of the road. Both dogs head for the same patch, noses down, and sniff companionably, while we wait patiently for them to move on.
The Warsaw twins do exactly the same thing, without the sniffing. Maja starts turning a domino into a mobile phone, and soon Jaś joins her and they sit together chatting away, not to each other, Maja repeating “Nie wiem” (I don't know) and Jaś continuing his vehicular conversations “'Ello autobus.” Or Jaś heads off into the hedge at the playground, and Maja thinks for a minute before she trots off to join him. Or they both grab their trucks and tear around the house dragging them and squealing in delight.
Yesterday one of my daughter's friends came to visit, and there was the same kind of companionable sniffing, this time around topics of conversation, each absorbing attention for a considerable time: philosophy, choice, critical thinking, black Australian history, books, the way the business of daily life interferes with the coherence of the thinking life, conspiracy theories, politics.
We are in fact all animals, taking our pleasures in similar ways.
pommepal said:
Like your last sentence Meg, yes we are all animals aren’t we…
LikeLike
morselsandscraps said:
One of the most comforting and illuminating realisations of my life, and it came late!
LikeLike
pommepal said:
Never too late Meg…
LikeLike
Heyjude said:
What Gilly said only better than I could. I had a smile over the fact we all go around sniffing the same patch of grass 😀
LikeLike
morselsandscraps said:
I probably need to attribute – the germ of the idea came from J! But I am a thieving writer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lucid Gypsy said:
As always I love your writing Meg ,you find the words that only struggle through the mud in my head.
LikeLiked by 2 people
morselsandscraps said:
Get a reality check Gilly. Your writing doesn’t come out of “mud in your head.” It comes out of perception in the heart, and a deep well of the right words.
LikeLike
pommepal said:
I know that feeling too Gilly and admire Meg’s choice of words.
LikeLike