the best kind of misunderstanding.

A few months after I adopted Claire, I flew home to spend my birthday weekend with my family. It was my first time leaving her, and I was worried that she would be scared and confused, even though she was staying with one of my friends. By the time I boarded the plane, I was in tears (which is my typical reaction when I'm worried or anxious about something, much to my chagrin). I ended up sitting next to a sweet older gentleman who promptly asked if there was anything he could do to help me feel better. I explained that it was my first time leaving my baby at home and said that I missed her already. He asked how old she was, to which I replied that she was just five months. I said that I really appreciated that my friend was willing to watch her, especially because she was so young. He asked if she was my first, and I said that yes, she was and I had waited my entire life to get her. He thought that was so sweet of me to say, and asked what she looked like. I replied that she is mostly black, and said that she has these big brown eyes and a little button nose - the cutest thing I have ever seen. He asked to see a picture of her, and I pulled one up on my phone. He started laughing and laughed so hard that he had tears running down his face; he thought I was talking about my child, not my dog. I was so embarrassed, but he quickly made me feel better by telling me that he understood my sadness at leaving her - his wife has a very strong bond with their dog, too, and often gets upset about having to leave her when they go on vacation.

I felt validated by our conversation, despite the misunderstanding. I hate when people try to discredit another's feelings by saying: "It's just a dog." Does it really matter? Is there a difference when you care about someone? I, for one, don't think so. I just feel blessed to have her to miss, to love, to care about. So I don't mind if people think I'm talking about my child... because in my case, my child is Claire. :)