SOJII

When I was quite confused on what my first post should be about, a very good friend of mine reminded me about the animal species that I so absolutely adore. Being a girl who loves dogs, I thought what better way to start this blog than by sharing something on one such dog I had the fortune of coming across, albeit for a very short time. So here goes...

This is about a dog I came across in my office premises, a stray dog as they are called in India. Some of my colleagues and myself were just lounging on some benches one late afternoon in the open garden area. We were taking a break and enjoying that little bit of afternoon sunshine. That was when we spotted a dog just a bench away from us. He was relaxing and had the most peaceful expression on his face, head resting on his forepaws and hind legs tucked in behind along his sides. I obviously couldn't sit still any longer, so my friend(also a dog lover) and myself began to approach him slowly. The moment we reached within a few feet of him he raised his head and looked at us, a curious,expectant expression on his face. As soon as we neared him a little more he began thumping his tail on the ground and got a playful expression in his eyes, a sure sign that he was completely approachable. We wasted no time in petting him. Placing the palm of my hand along the side of his head, he closed his eyes enjoying it and leaning in more almost as if he would use my hand as a pillow to sleep. Something in me melted right there, somehow it just felt so right and peaceful at that moment. The next day we came to the same place to find him there yet again. For about a week we always met him in the same area and we also gave him a name, Sojii. Now how that name came up is another random reason, no need for it to be mentioned really but it felt right and so we stuck with that :)

:D He looked adorable. with that flower

I spoke to him randomly, at times, even troubling him when all he wanted to do was sleep. :P . There was one such time where he was resting and I tried putting a pretty white flower near his ear, trying to balance it there, but I guess he figured it out as it started to tickle him and he began pawing at it , not letting me place it and adjust it at all.At a point, fed up of my persistent endeavours to get the flower on his ear, he got up  and made his way to another bench to settle. I giggled at his annoyance but I really did want one picture of him with the flower, so as he slept I placed the flower in mid air at an angle that looked like it was on his head and slyly took a picture. It came almost perfect except for my hand appearing in the picture too :D..Oh well, something was better than nothing.





There were times when I just spoke to him randomly, like I was actually having a conversation with him. Somehow looking into those wise, deep. all-knowing eyes I'd feel like he understood us much better than any human ever could, almost like he'd understand the parts we don't say out loud but feel..but then he'd suddenly turn away or just go back to resting again. :P It's like his way of telling me  "Hey I hear you, I feel you, but it's all right, take a chill pill..it's life, deal with it, whether you decide to sleep on it or handle it another way, get it done with, 'cause life is too short and we got to live out each moment." Again, this could be a figment of my imagination, or me convincing myself, but hey it's how I like to perceive it, so to each his own right :). We caught a few moments of these random converstions and the old bugger tuning in and out to it :P :D
.










One of the days after our usual meeting with him was over , we began to walk back to our office building, and he  accompanied us all the way  till we were about to enter the building. That's where he very smartly stopped in his tracks, tail wagging and went no further. He knew he wasn't meant to enter the office building. I gave him a pat on his head, little knowing it would be the last time I did, and then went along. Sojii turned back and went his way. That was the last we ever saw of him. No matter how much we looked out for him in the premises in the later weeks, we never came across him again. We did realize that he was quite old, so there was a possibility  of him having passed on or it could be that he just found another place to his liking.

Whatever be the case I am thankful for having come across this sweet, intelligent soul, even if for a very short while. He bought to me a kind of contentment and smile that comes only right from within.
So Sojii, whether you've crossed the rainbow bridge , or whether you're still on my side of the universe, I hope you're always warm, happy and content and spreading that warmth around you. :) You will be missed dearly , but I'll always remember the feeling you gave me and try my best to let it reach out to others. This post here is one way of doing that :)
I do hope that all of you reading this got some kind of good feeling. It was the least I could do for a simple, yet smart and loving stray dog