We got a dog, a Doxle (crossbreed between a beagle and a dachshund) and named him Bruce. Soon after, things changed…
Bruce
What’s with “Bruce” anyway, seemingly with an alter ego… Bruce Wayne has a dark (knight) side in him. The very “tame” Bruce Banner turns green and smashes things. For Bruce Lee, it’s a combination of natural instinct and control, his paradigm for “unnatural naturalness or natural unnaturalness”. Bruce Willis, well he’s an actor but he wasn’t acting when he said he’s apolitical but he’s as Republican as he could be. Bruce Jenner is now Caitlyn Jenner. Bruce Almighty took advantage of being ‘The Almighty’. Bruce Springsteen, well, he’s “Johnny B. Goode Born in the USA but You Never Can Tell”. Whereas for Bruce the Doxle, either you’ll love him or hate him. Probably what BAD stands for; Bad As Devil or Bad-Ass Dog… Someone dislikes him so much, things changed.
Bruce to Bruised
With due respect to every perspective out of different versions, I wouldn’t go into details given how it’s rather a touchy subject. Point however is that getting a dog strained my relationship with a loved one. We have different takes as much as disposition when it comes to having a dog. It triggered a bang. It was just the tip of the iceberg. Consequently, it opened a can of worms relating to both ends. Thus, it didn’t end well for it to be considered as shallow as an empty can. Those worms became bait in fishing for opportunities for realizations, yet similarly delving into shortcomings. Assuming it’s deeper than shallow water so to speak, in trying to comprehend “how there are many fishes in the ocean” for that thought of every probable reason there is to see from different angles, swimming along however and adding up to the number were sea monsters as well that further held us gasping for air in wanting to emerge from the depth of misgivings… In struggling to avoid drowning further, deeper feelings and emotions were agitated. Egos were hurt. Pride was manifested. And Bruce is not Aquaman… er Aquadog for that matter… neither is he from Paw Patrol who’d be there 🎵whenever you're in trouble and be there on the double🎵. There seems to be no redeeming factor to justify he’s “Bruce Wayne inside Batman” as to why he’s worth the trouble… As a matter of fact, his apparent innocence and playful puppy behavior seemed to have unleashed the “Bruce Banner’s Hulk” in someone… the feeling is so suppressed though that of which explains why Hulk turns green.
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| "The Masked Crossed-Aider" |
“Green with Envy, Green vs Green”
Could also be against one’s self figuring out answers for oneself… Much like holding our breath under water for so long turned us green. Hulk-smashing and leaping our way out of submersion from anger and frustration rather than maintaining a “Bruce Banner disposition-like calmness” in settling the issue. Envious of empathy. Envious of expression. Ironic though that what was rather manifested in expressing our resentment is through silent treatment. It smashed the stronghold of our inner peace. A “cold war” ensued that may have frozen both our hearts for any chance of forgiveness and reconciliation. Eventually, it’s going to be forgiveness for oneself so as to reconcile with one’s self… Some time. If. Hopefully.
Bruised Ego
Bruce Wayne’s Batman didn’t laugh with the Joker. Neither did he find it funny fighting Superman. Bruce Banner’s Hulk didn’t follow The Leader; as much as he didn’t let Wolverine get ahead of him. Bruce Almighty disobeyed God. Pride is one’s greatest enemy. It’s not a question as to who’d win between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris in a real fight (if they do fight), but why do friends (or family) clash… because of that sizable adversary, PRIDE. Pride sometimes let us dwell on suppressed ill feelings instead of applying diplomacy. Pride ironically holds us hostage from a supposedly liberating truth we ourselves hold. And sometimes (if not often), we rather hold our peace than subject them to that disturbing fact or lead them to a path towards guilt trip. On the other hand, their pride likewise tell them otherwise at the expense of your side of the story. On a side note, before all these “Bruce(d) ego issues”, there was “Bros’ egos.” My ego was similarly bruised having felt betrayed by the fact that a close friend rather believed that “blood is thicker than water” to the point of depriving me of any means to even disprove the lies (with a screenshot for an evidence even)… But I thought, there was no point contending and reasoning out further with that “relatively connected pedigree” for an argument… It gave “biological” warfare a whole new meaning and pride was the toxic element.
Whereas this time, it’s the blood within my bloodline that got infected. It boiled bad blood. Pride’s toxicity level is so potent that even Bruce Banner’s “Green” could turn into black-and-blue. Bruce Wayne doesn’t have an antidote for it. Bruce Almighty can’t alter free will. “Tougher than the rest” said Bruce Springsteen. It hardens the heart. It gets bruised.
“It Bruce er Brews Bitterness”
“The bitter, the better” for the heart ~ wine that is. On the contrary, there’s the “bitter whine” which is harmful to the heart. Bruce has this irritating sharp whine that’s not good, it makes you bitter… Seemingly in pain, it’s a condition though that makes you want him to feel better at the same time. You’d assume it’s a potential reprehension from the “dog hater er Bruce’s villain” pushing you to bitterly contend with that I-told-you-so-look as sharp as a stare down, apparently challenging your assumed better judgment to take the road-less-traveled using your moral compass. The compass though seems to point towards the south, towards the opposite of the north you’ve been accustomed to and have been acclimatized all your life. You’re parting ways. Ironically pushed to a decision as some bittersweet resolve, it’s not the most sensible recourse so it seems. It could however be some blessing in disguise for realizations to set in. Pride will however make that quite difficult. Hoping for a miracle or wishful thinking that Bruce is disguised as Bruce Almighty being the dog spelled backwards. As cliche as “things happen for a reason”, with inhibitions somehow, you embrace the probabilities but not the immediate change and effect; not yet for now at least.
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| "Blessing As Disguised..." |
Dark Night
Waking up in a dark room, you’d wonder how brightness of the morning seems overdue when in fact, a new day has already dawned. You slept soundly however, knowing how those similarly dark days from the past were as superficial. No more pretensions. Now, at least, you’re literally in a dark room sans the presence of light but that’s just about it as opposed to being in a glaring world clouded by dissimulation. Much like how on the contrary the “Dark Knight” isn’t one’s typical knight in shining armor, as well as it’s a “bat” for squeaking out loud, it nevertheless rounds up the enemy or at least contains it from further sowing unrest. It’s a “masked form of capability” unlike the more familiar affluence for an influence from that of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Broke but whole, not wealthy-however-unhealthy. Needy but fulfilled, not loaded-however-empty. Dark but enlightened. “Bruise waned.”
Two-Face
“Bruce Wayne still has to contend with Two-Face.” While he’s, in a way, being humble about his heroic alter-ego in disguise, there are also other matters concerning “two sides of the story” he has to deal with… When it comes to family matters however, there shouldn’t be sides, only the side of the truth on being family no matter what. Truth is that among family, there’ll be misunderstandings and whatnots. And truth hurts… But then, there are likewise altered egos based on either hearing or giving one sided perspective. It’s not even head-or-tail-coin-flipping sort of a thing as “Two-Face” could actually look at two directions at the same time. Two-Face isn’t family for Bruce Wayne though, yet there are two-faced factors which could play the role of divisor may it be intentional or otherwise; incidental or “empathically played”. Realizations are harder to perceive if you’re looking at pride and self-effacement at the same time. “Too fazed” even, do you recognize in “Two-Face” as to who’s who? Who should you believe? Even among sympathizers or empathizers, the concept of duality and the conflict between good and bad could manifest with a “two-faceted truth”.
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| "Man's Best Friend or Man's Beast Fiend?" |
Bruce the Doxle
Is he more of a beagle or a dachshund? A doxie or a beweenie? Does he care less? Careless, he is. He carelessly do dog things… Poor Bruce, he’s being chewed out for a conflict he’s actually innocent about. Even poorer Bruce is that such discord manifested ‘pride’ among his humans ironically stemming from less to none of it for him. He’s probably thinking, oh well, who could even be proud of him being a product of a beagle mother straying away only to get impregnated by another stray, “What?! It’s Dachs-Hund of a bitch!!” Well, Bruce is literally, that son of a bitch. And “doxle of a bitch” grew like the dog that he is: chewing on slippers and shoes, barking while someone is sleeping, marking his assumed but actually someone else’s territory, triggering his humans’ annoyance as to who’s going to clean up after his mess, etc… He's naturally a dog for barking out loud… And these provoked a “bitch-fit from within” and unleashed a barrage of issues… For a human, like a mongrel with no breeding, you’d be a subject for comparison to the purebred ones as somewhat a family outcast. Funny thing how, in a “related circle”, you somehow get to relate ~ yet more on the relatable rejection… The different one. The poor among the rich… The odd one out!
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| "Youngest! Young Guest?" |
“Add One In”
“Adding an odd-one-out” in this case is like welcoming an orphan into our home. He becomes part of the family like we’re Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. It isn’t for show like getting a prestige-adding/image-defining breed of dog that becomes a status symbol of some sort. Though considered a hybrid, a doxle is more like an “askal” (a street dog) one would most likely just give away. That magic of a puppy regardless of breed though… A friend gave it as a gift to our youngest. All the same, it excited the kids, which to me was some means to being able to make that decision as a “significant provision” (“sign.if.i.cant provide”) for their happiness. At times (which is becoming frequent), Bruce could be bothersome and a source of annoyance… Even though Bruce could be a handful, you don’t give up on family like giving up on a son who disappoints…
“The Pro-Dog ol’ Son”
I’m a dog person as well as I’m the old son who disappoints… because I got Bruce… because I chose not to get rid of Bruce… because I chose not to dwell on “All of these for a dog, really?!” premise… because I chose getting bruised… because I chose to spare Bruce’s “antiDOGonist” from having to "get rid of us" for whatever negative implication… because I chose to rather appear as the prodigal son… because I chose to go away so as not to escalate the animosity further… because I chose the way out to refrain from further using Bruce as a scapegoat for other issues (or my shortcomings)... because I chose to let them blame me instead… because I chose to care less, to care less about what others may say against me… because I chose to appease their bruised egos as I’m trying to pacify mine as well… because I choose family… because I choose to be positive… And on a PAWsitive note as to Bruce’s ego, he doesn’t seem to have one, even if he’s the “BAD” dog that he is… a “BAD” mix, a “Beagle And Dachshund” mix, “Bruce, A Doxle” dog. As the FURent to this PAWdigal son, I can (aso er) also relate as a “BAD” human, “Bruised And Damaged”.
~ to be fixed (hmmm) ~ to be continued…