This week I felt like a pressure cooker where the heat gradually increased throughout the week. Between work, the exploding COVID crisis and the virtual reality being created by the “man behind the curtain”, it was everything I could do to keep the lava from spilling out of the top of my head. Apparently Rudy Giuliani was also feeling the heat because his face was apparently melting like that of the Wicked Witch of the West in the climax scene of The Wizard of Oz. The good news is that it looks like the witch is almost dead. Hopefully if we close our eyes, click our heels a few times and repeat that that “there is no place like home”, we’ll find that this suffering was all just a dream.

The misery of the week was sealed with the diagnosis that Enzo, our beloved Tibetan Terrier, has lymphoma. We seem to have caught it early and we are hopeful that the chemotherapy prescribed by the vet will extend his time with us. In the meantime, we are savoring his company. Even in his illness, “The King of the Sillyheads”, still knows how to make us laugh and bring peace to our household.

Buddhist monks cherish this breed for their companionship. The monks never sold these dogs but gave them to others as gifts of good fortune. My wife and I have been the beneficiaries of a monk’s generosity for we are fortunate to have shared in Enzo’s unselfish friendship.

I am not a Buddhist nor do I pretend to know much about the religion. I have read about the “Four Noble Truths” and recognize that life involves suffering and that there is a path of enlightenment to the end of suffering. It seems that in these difficult days Buddhism has much to teach us.

It turns out that Buddhist monks have also been cultivating the chrysanthemum for centuries where it was used as an offering. Today, this beautiful flower is cherished throughout the world. It has come to symbolize happiness, honesty, friendship and loyalty. What could be a more fitting tribute to our beloved friend Enzo than this photo taken just over a week ago?