To Be a Greek Dog

               The concept of Reincarnation has never really appealed to me.  I figured my return to earth would be the punishment or reward for my previous life.  Based on that, Karma would kick in and I’d end up as a mule, or a mosquito, or maybe an inanimate object like a Frisbee; spending perpetuity spinning around fast until I ended up on a garage roof for all of eternity.  That was my attitude until I found the one animate creation worth living a better life for… A Greek dog.

                In my travels, I have seen some wondrous sights.  To me, the most amazing natural spectacle was certainly the Grand Canyon.  The most incredible man-made spectacle had to be Saint Peters Basilica in Rome.  Combine those two qualities and you have the Island of Santorini, Greece.  In the village of Oia, The whitewashed buildings with bold azure roofs contrast the deep, navy blue sea.

This is a dreamy place where wandering the side streets and paths may lead to a small café, a quaint shop, or suddenly lead you out to a broad panorama of the sea and surrounding islands.

I can’t say that I’m an expert on Greek dogs, but every one of them that I came across had an odd canine grin on their face… like they knew something we mortal humans didn’t.  I imagine them gazing at us with a certain canine curiosity about why we would walk up and down the endless steps just to gaze at the sea while at the same time walking the opposite direction of a skewer of roasted lamb.  If they could talk, surely they would tell us which are the best blue roofs to lie on, who the kind dog lovers are, and what restaurant had the best souvlaki scraps. 

It’s pretty unbelievable that I would actually be envious of a dog.  Sniffing other dogs’ rear ends and drinking water from the toilet have never been my thing.  But dogs are happy to simply be petted, loved and slipped a few moussaka scraps under the table now and then.  We humans can learn a lot from the simple expectations of a dog.

          
              I can think of no better reincarnation fate than that of being a Greek dog.  Surely this would be the highest level of my soul’s earthly existence.  It would certainly beat spending eternity on the garage roof.