Yesterday, we made some rounds.
Drove across the state to help my mother-in-law move some heavy stuff, did some shopping at the Asian market, and of course hit up a few thrift stores along the way as well.
My partner hit DVD gold and found a bunch of movies he’d been wanting to see, and a few early Simpsons seasons.
I didn’t find as much, but what I did find was also gold: Season 7 of Seinfeld on DVD and a book that is very much up my alley – The Tao of Bow Wow by Deborah Wood.
The Seinfeld season 7 boxed set made me extremely happy. I thought FOR YEARS that it was an anxiety-induced bore of show, and as a kid I always flipped the channel to something else if it was on. But now as an anxious adult, I GET IT.
Four urban dwelling people shooting themselves in the foot every episode and the hijinks that ensue have really captured my attention the past few months. I’ve already gobbled up Seasons 1-6, and now 7 is sitting on the DVD shelf waiting to be devoured. Watching this TV show and laughing about strangely relatable scenarios has really helped me with social anxiety, but I will be saving that story for another blog post.
On to our next golden find: The Tao of Bow Wow.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Abisensei, you don’t have a dog! What are you gonna do, apply the principles of understanding and animal training in Tao of Bow Wow to chickens?”
Oh hell yes reader, I am.
And I’m gonna blog all about it.
Cause if there’s two things I’ve been on a kick with recently, it’s Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching and chickens. Learning about the Tao has been both confusing and comforting, especially the bits about non-action (wu wei) and just letting the bits of the universe that are out of your control do their thing. Letting the nature around you take its course. For a cripplingly anxious person like myself, reading the Tao has been an intense workout with a nice rose-scented bubble bath to relax in afterwards.
Chickens have been a source of therapy and relaxation for me since we brought the Poop Troop home as chicks in 2024. When I’m feeling sad, fearful, angry, or anxious, one visit out to the run with these guys will wash all of that away. They provide the same love and goofy antics that are very similar to a dog or a cat, but instead they’re feathered mini-dinosaurs that poop out breakfast.
How awesome would it be to combine the Tao Te Ching with keeping chickens as a mode of relaxation and bonding somehow?
Humans may not have domesticated chickens as long as we have dogs and cats, but those historical bonds are still there lurking in our DNA. So why not apply the principles in the Tao of Bow Wow from one domesticated species to another?
I feel like it would make a super fun project to do with the flock, and if training is involved you know my girl Diamond is up to the task. She is smart as a whip and does easy tricks for blueberries already, so why not. I’m excited to see where reading this book leads us.
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