Life is a cartoon

A friend of mine told me the other day that she thought I had a very "animated" outlook on life. Of course I was playing in the yard with Tubby at the time, talking baby-talk to him as if he could understand what I was saying. Later, as I thought about what she had said, I realized she was right. I do tend to view life as a cartoon, for the most part. I see everything in a comical Looney Tunes way and I emphasize everything I do, say, view and experience in a silly manner. It's just my way of never growing up and not taking things too seriously, I guess.

When I drive to work and see all the animals and wildlife, I find myself giving them all silly names and relating them to characters on cartoons I watched, or children's books I cherished as a kid. For instance, when I see the chickens running willy nilly away from a dog on the side of the road, I picture them as chubby southern Mammies with gingham dresses on and red kerchiefs on their heads, holding up their skirts so you can see their pantalooned legs as they waddle off across the lawn to hurry out of harms way. You can almost hear them saying, "Lord have mercy Henny Penny, that was a close call!"

By naming the cows and llamas and horses, even the fox, bunnies and turtles along the way, I'm not only giving them names, but personalities too! That way every time I see them, they are more dear to me, and they continually act out their parts in my ongoing daily adventures. I look forward to seeing the calves jumping and kicking as they try to coax their lazy mama's into playing with them. I love watching the herons wade out in the pond on their mile-high legs, to catch fish. I enjoy seeing the turkeys in the Spring when the toms fan out their tails and puff up their chests, strutting around to impress the hens, who act like they could care less about the lovesick fools.

There's only one downfall in my playful attachment to all these creatures, however, and that's when something bad happens to them and they are no longer a part of my days. My tender heart can't bear seeing a dead bird on the road that won't ever sing it's beautiful song again, or a smushed bunny that surely has a family waiting for it somewhere close by, wondering when he's going to come home for dinner. I think of them all as my very own, and I want the cartoons to go on happily forever and ever!