I think aBettaBlog is lacking depth and starting to feel like a meaningless show and tell. It started out as a parody, poking fun at people who take their pets too seriously. House pets these days are a shadow of what they once were as they've been domesticated and molded to suit our fancy. Ever noticed a dog smile or look up at you with the innocence and naivety of a young child? It would be creepy if it wasn't so adorable. My friend's Husky does this all the time, she's a wonderful animal but so far removed from her ancestor wolves that she's practically a real person. Our pets are no longer card-carrying killers of the food chain but are as threatening as a Care Bear with an opinion. But one thing remains true; that every pet-owner on this earth lives for that single moment when their return on investment purrs a homecoming, blinks a question, or sits on command.
So upon these amusements I started blogging this satire about Mira (my reluctant hero) and her experience keeping a couple Betta fish not just alive, but happy. Her big pay out never barked but fluttered wing-fins when she opened the door. Mira is unpredictable, directionless, and the debris accumulated from her ADD has left her with a mild but nagging anxiety that's not worth treating. Some days she's a conqueror and others a peddler of apologies, paranoia, and discouragement. So upon this canvas the colors of aBettaBlog are burned and the comedic tragedy yin and yanged until I started to sense a loss in altitude and frivolity became the case. The blog began to stall when Rojo died and Mira, after rifling through the trunk of her car, accidentally disposed of his Tupperware casket in a 7-11 trash can. The twin tragedy came with Fransisco's death a few days later and Mira flushes his stinking corpse down the loo.
Shakespeare's playing with humor and drama as co-dependents enabled him to take this audience into agonizing territories of the Human psyche. The deflation of Bettablog hissed into a wrinkle so looking to my protagonist for answers and finding her still at war with her ego, I let My Mira try selflessness on for size. Mira's consistent BettaLove providing the source of her strength she decides to give BettaGifts to the friends she thinks could use a boost. Mira, in a Kairos moment and without really knowing why, also offers her recipients her solemn promise that the experience of owning a Betta could change their life for the better. Total Bulls*** at the time.
And so far this authentic gesture of love appears to be working. Randy has several girlfriends and has started to draw again, painting pictures for his Betta fish who follows the lines from within his tank. Tommy recently flew up to Oregon to visit an old friend, is still dating sweet April and enjoying his demotion at work. As for Amberletta, she's spending time with her son who's learning how to feed Raphael twice a week instead of twice an hour and has a show and tell lined up at his school which Amber will be attending.
So the question remains; Was it the fish or the sound of ring of that promise? Whatever it is, from somewhere beneath all the nonsense, a message of Truth as begun to take form. I just wish I knew what caused those bloody fish to die.
.JPG)
Posts
