This charming book came into my life unexpectedly last year while cleaning out my uncle’s apartment after he passed away. There was barely anything in his apartment because he had lived a transient lifestyle for years before, and had only moved into the apartment shortly before his passing. The book was tucked in a closet among numerous self help books, so the sweet puppy dog face peaking through the Dalai Lama books caught my attention. That, and the fact that the movie is so popular, made me pick it up and take it home with me. I myself was fond of the movie, so reading the source material sounded like a great idea!
Marley and Me’s full title is Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog written by John Grogan, and the magic behind this story is right there in the title. This story is not purely about a dog, or even about the relationship between dog and dog owner, but it’s really about life itself. The story starts out with John and Jenny Grogan as newlyweds living in Florida, before they have kids or the weight of the world on their shoulders. As a test run to kids, they decide to get a dog. Great idea, right? Except they end up with Marley, the absolute worst behaved dog (again, it’s right there in the title). He likes running through screen doors, can’t take orders, poops on the sacred dog beach, and eats literally everything in sight!
“This was his last ride as a fully equipped member of the male gender, the least I could do was give him a little fresh air… At that instant he slid his front legs out the window until his armpits were resting on the edge of the glass.
‘John, grab him! Garb him!’
Before I could do anything, Marley was off my lap and scrambling out the window of our car. His butt was up in the air, his hind legs clawing for a foothold. He was making his break. As his body slithered past me, I lunged for him and managed to grab the end of his tail with my left hand. Jenny was braking hard in heavy traffic. Marley dangled fully outside the moving car, suspended upside down by his tail, which I had by the most tenuous of grips. My body was twisted around in a position that didn’t allow me to get my other hand on him. Marley was frantically trotting along with his front paws on the pavement.”
Chapter 9, pages 78-79
It would be a nightmare to live through, but is hilarious to read, and even Grogan who did live through it realizes it’s hilarious. I honestly always thought of this story as a sad one, because SPOILER Marley dies in the end, and it definitely has it’s moments of sadness, but I was laughing out loud and smiling more than I was crying. Just like life, the story has it’s ups and downs, scary moments and joyful ones, pain and miracles, but at the end of the book, I was only left with a warm fuzzy feeling. Because of course Marley isn’t only the worst behaved dog, but also the most lovable and loyal dog in the world. I’ve never had a dog, but I found that whether you have a dog or not, it’s a reminder that going through life with a pet is sweeter, and I found myself grateful that I have an animal friend to go through life with.
“He was the central player in some of the happiest chapters of our lives. Chapters of young love and new beginnings, of budding careers and tiny babies. Of heady successes and crushing disappointments; of discovery and freedom and self-realization. He came into our lives just as we were trying to figure out what they would become… Just as we had helped shape him into the family pet he would become, he helped to shape us, as well – as a couple, as parents, as animal lovers, as adults. Despite everything, all the disappointments and unmet expectations, Marley had given us a gift, at once priceless and free. He taught us the art of unqualified love. How to give it, how to accept it. Where there is that, most of the other pieces fall into place.”
Chapter 29, pages 286-287
I would highly recommend reading Marley and Me . It offers so much and John is a pretty amazing story teller! See how you find yourself in the life and pages of this story. You can pick up your own copy here.
All my love,
it is good. 