This is Ripley. She’s my best friend’s dog.
Ripley loves me. She would love you. Ripley loves all people, especially her own humans, and all day long, she is enamored with them.
I asked my best friend, “What percentage of the day do you think Ripley’s tail is wagging?”
“Oh, 99.9%,” she answered. We asked the same question to her partner. “If she’s standing on all fours, 95% of the time. If she’s lying down, just a little less.” So definitely in the upper 90s. Ripley’s just always looking, often ready to cuddle, and… sometimes she gets so excited, she just can’t stand it. Ripley has been learning boundaries over the years. She can barely contain her eagerness, but she’s gotten so much better at it. The main thing is, the affection shines through, no matter what.
We would do well to learn from Ripley. We could let our affection show.
(Boundaries intact, of course).
Like…
— Last weekend, my Mom, Stepdad, and I danced to swing music in the kitchen.
— Recently, I was standing in a line with a friend, and simultaneously, as if the energy just pulled us together, we each leaned in at once and co-cuddled. Neither one knew the other one was about to do so. We just met together that way.
— “I LOVE YOU RENEE,” a beloved young adult texted me joyfully.
Ripley is a good example, and she makes me want this all the more. I think I could be looking, paying attention, too. I think I could be enamored. I think I could be so eager, like I can barely stand it. Because people are pretty great.
— Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 