Immature love says: 'I love you because I need
you.' Mature love says 'I need you because I love you.'
Maggie's love relationship with her tennis ball is complicated. Possessive is one way to describe it. Abandonment is another word to use. Either way love is spelled "tennis ball" to her. In the past, all of my other dogs loved a good tennis ball too. There wasn't ever a problem with releasing the tennis ball from their clutches for me to throw. Bingo! That ball was at my feet. It got tossed over and over ad nauseum. Then Maggie entered my life. On day one she was hooked on old tennis balls. In my opinion, the issue with Maggie's love relationship with the tennis ball is she wants me to throw it, but she doesn't want to release it. She holds on tight. We've had many discussions about the necessary tennis ball catch & release program. Ball gets dropped, I throw it, and Maggie brings it back. Her love affair with her tennis balls has her holding on dearly.
Sometimes Maggie won't look me straight in the eye if her tennis ball is in her mouth. I call this the avoidance strategy (you are interrupting me-bug off). Or maybe it's the "I'm invisible and you can't see me." If I look at her directly I feel like I'm interrupting a personal moment between her and her tennis ball. Once in a blue moon she'll throw her ball at my feet. At that moment I think we're making progress. Then it's back to the vise grip of love. I wonder if this is mature love I need you because I love you or immature love I love you because I need you? Either way, for Maggie love is spelled in two words- tennis ball. I accept her passionate love affair with the tennis ball and kindly bug off.
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