A tiny little pug has swept the internet, running away with our hearts. Well, running as best she can.
Loca the Pug was born in Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland, and was adopted by Malcom and Alena Orr. They noticed right away that she was the runt of the litter, and had a difficult time moving around. This was because Loca has a condition called Cerebeller Ataxia, which damages the nerve cells that control muscle coordination.
The pug’s owners made a video one day about her everyday endeavors, and the video skyrocketed to over a million hits on Youtube. To some, it’s a little laugh that brightens our day. To others, it’s a fun song to get stuck in the head. But I think, if we look into it a bit more, it’s clear that we all have a little Loca the pug in us.
Some of you may be thinking, how dare you compare me to a spastic sausage of a dog!
That little sausage of a dog could teach us all a lesson or two.
We all have that special something, that one thing that seems to make us different from everyone else. A lot of the times we think that special thing makes us weaker, makes us dumber, or makes us less valuable. Rarely do we see our differences as strengths, things we should learn to love.
Sometimes it feels like we’re failing, flopping and flouncing all over the place. We fall down trying to do something we love, and at times it’s hard to understand the point of getting back up. It doesn’t matter how many moments you bumble; all that matters is that you have people who love you no matter what kinds of bruises and scrapes you bring home at the end of the day.
In the song, Loca talks about a brother named Alfie. There are times in life when someone close to you might make you feel insignificant and small because they do things better than you. You might spend days and weeks trying to perfect yourself to match their standards. You spend hours in front of the mirror, pinching at the skin on your waist and poring over all the mistakes you've made in class, wishing you were smarter. But the only person who needs to approve of you is yourself.
It’s easy to feel down on yourself every once in a while, but it’s all about finding things that make you happy and appreciating the good in life. We have to step back and realize what's most important to us. And although she probably appreciates a good ear scratch more than anything else, I think Loca is an excellent example of someone doing just that.
Take some time to think about how a little nugget of a dog named Loca lives life. I think her message will stick around me for a long time.
Especially because that song is just so dang catchy.
