Spreading Tofu’s Ashes
It’s only right to start this off as a tribute to a wonderful dog, with a bit of an apparent digression. Tofu was with us for 15 years — 16 Christmases. She died early in the morning of the day after Christmas.
I picked up her ashes last night at the vet. Soon, I’ll drive to the pond where she used to swim so enthusiastically and sprinkle a bit of Tofu back into the pond.
I know that projecting feelings on one’s dog is common. And there could be no more pure projection than investing a dog’s ashes with the need to return to the pond where she once played. And yet… And yet… my feeling that she wants this, that she will somehow appreciate this, is so strong that it’s worth examining. Not at length in this post. But examining none the less.
If we can project feelings onto the ashes of a dead dog, how many other, less obvious, projections do we make every day? To a living person we do not know. To one we believe we do know. To ourselves. (Now there is an interesting twist.)
I can’t promise I will deal with this question in subsequent posts. Can’t promise I won’t, either. But I’d welcome thoughts on the matter. And I may put it to the Askville community as well.
For now, I’m going to change into some appropriate clothes and make the trip to the pond.
/bg
