Beans turns 6
My friend Reverend Sarah once called Beans “the embodiment of the holy spirit between two people”.
Yesterday Beans and I flew from Salida to Seattle and I watched complete strangers in their own world see her bulbous eyes and their countenance would contort into squished faced people reacting to her cuteness. Two separate people, while in line at TSA asked me how old she was and when I said “six tomorrow” they both responded by directly wishing Beans a Happy Birthday in a high pitched voice.
This summer a drunk girl in Bushwick stumbled out of Heavy Woods in a flowing gold dress and sequins top, took one look at beans and kneeled to talk to her. After she spent the next few moments petting her and telling her how cute she is, she looked at me and said “I needed her in my life” before picking up her cell phone and walking away.
When I purchased Beans from a south suburban Chicago puppy store I lived in a house and I had a completely different life planned for myself that seemed accommodating to a dog. Now 6 years later, my entire life plan has changed and keeping Beans means she has to travel with me through all of it. Along the way she has introduced me to people I would have never met without her. From airports where mothers with their children and our seat buddies we just met will stop to take selfies with her, to the New York City Subway where a man caught the next train because he was sure dogs had a good sense about people and Beans high-fived him.
One time and elderly man who lingered longer with beans than anyone else brought his wife back to meet her and take a selfie with her in Yosemite.
On her 3rd birthday (which is 21 in dog years) I took Beans to a Brooklyn dog bar and read poetry to her. A man who worked there came over to meet her and upon discovering it was her birthday fed her ham out of his mouth. I was obviously surprised at how friendly he was and secretly disgusted because feeding anyone from your own mouth is pretty gross but Beans downed 'shots' of ham out of a strange mans mouth on her 21st birthday as I looked on all judgy.
Once While walking to Maria Hernandez Park in Brooklyn a man yelled “Beans” from across the street. A little stunned, I followed her wagging butt and happy ears across the street. He introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Prince Albert” which made sense somehow standing next to a man in a floor-length purple duster and a hat with a large feather sticking out. I had no idea who he was but he knew Beans and said he had met her previously, despite my never having met him.
When I was living in Chicago a woman stopped me while I was walking Beans and told me I had unfinished business from a past life and Beans was my guardian angel, I laughed at her that day but the older Beans gets the more I want to believe it.
Sometimes I feel like I am walking this little mutant that truly sees people through life and I'm just a witness.
Today Beans is 6.
these are some photos of her little life for the past 6 years
Viva Frijolita, my fearless little dog that barks at Thunder.
