Always Have Someone—or
Something—That Is Pleased to
See You
We’re back to the woman and her greyhounds here. When she
comes home, her dogs are always pleased to see her, but then
dogs always are. No matter how badly you have treated them,*
they always go nuts. Of course, you want your partner to
behave in just the same fashion, to go nuts when you come
home. And I’m sure they do, don’t they? And, of course, you
do when they come home, don’t you? No? Why not? Yes? Well
done.
We all need someone who is pleased to see us. It makes us feel
it is all worthwhile. I love it when I have to go away for work
for a day or two and then when I get back my children all
stand there, like children do, with their hands outstretched
with that lovely, “Have you brought me something back?”
look on their faces.
Or when they get back from school and you ask if they’ve had
a good day and they grunt at you. So refreshing. But you are
still incredibly pleased to see them—for them, you are their
someone or something.
And no, the red light of the TV standby button isn’t enough.
Yo u d o n e e d a p e r s o n o r a p e t. O n e o f m y s o n s c l a i m s h i s
gecko is always pleased to see him, but I have tried hard to
detect any emotion on its face and so far failed—the gecko’s,
not my son’s.
*Not taking them on a long enough walk because you’ve been so busy, forget-
ting biscuits, stuff like that. I don’t mean treating them really badly. Who
would do that?