A Manly Man

I just finished the highly-praised movie, Marley and Me- a great movie that has had many different responses. The majority viewed it as heart-warming, tear-dropping, and simply beautiful while the rare few thought of it as complete stupidity. What was my response? - A lot of tears, a lot of them. (What can I say I am pretty manly man.)

We all know. Marley’s death is obviously the saddest part of the movie, but being the manly man that I am, why was I crying up a storm? Why did the death of this “special” dog poke a soft spot in my heart? I couldn’t come up with an answer. I guess I’m just a dog loving freak at heart. Either that or God forgot to mix in the “MAN” ingredient when he created me. Wait, I volunteered to give up three of my dogs and last time I checked I had balls between my thunder thighs, so that’s not it.

Maybe it’s because the death of the dog symbolized a death in my life- That makes more sense. Marley was a unique creature; actually you could say that all dogs are unique, because they love anyone and everyone. Whether the person is fat, or skinny, or whether the person is rich, or poor, dogs will always love as long as you pour out your heart to them, hence the title “Man’s Best Friend”. John Grogan said it best; “A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things - a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.” In other words, these furry, cute animals do more than just sleep, eat, and hump, they love unconditionally and teach us things about this world. Who else does that? Who else loves unconditionally and blindly? Who else teaches us friendship, selflessness and, loyalty? Who else is that hairy? To me, it sounds a lot like that Jesus creature.

It’s a tragedy to say, but in my life, Jesus has passed away. I have forgotten who he was and who he is. I have lived alone in the dark. And above all else, I have forgotten what he has done. His death parallels the death of Marley. I subconsciously knew this, hence leading to my overflow of tears. But in the mist of all this “sad talk” here’s some optimism; Jesus was crucified on the cross but later was resurrected. If he can come back to life in real life, then he can do the same in my life.

John Grogan has his own story, Marley and Me. And I have mine, Me, Myself, and I. Just kidding, it goes more like, Jesus and Me. What's your story?

Love to live, live to love.

-GhanDEEP