My Moxie Moment

 Moxie is a Yorkshire Terrier, a five-pound male Yorkie.  He was the runt of the litter, but he never let  his size stop him from being the Top Dog.  He would take on every squirrel, every rabbit, most cats and some dogs twice his size.

Once he took on a mother raccoon and ended up in the hospital for four days.

A year after we got Moxie, we adopted his half-sister – Minnie, who weighed nearly twice Moxie’s size.  But, because she was a female, she never challenged Moxie for Top Dog status.

Two years ago, during that 100 degree hot spell, my brother invited us to spend time at his house.  He had recently installed air conditioning and thought we could use a break from the heat.  “Bring along your dogs,” he said.

When we arrived at this house, his daughter – my niece – was also there.  And, she had brought her dog.   A Big Dog, who must have weighed 60 pounds and stood as tall as my waist.

Moxie was impressed.  So impressed that he curled up in my wife Jan’s lap and  lay there for most of the day.  Big Dog stiffed him a couple of times, and Moxie returned the favor.

After a few hours Moxie left Jan’s lap, jumped down to the floor, walked over to Big Dog laid down and exposed his belly.  Moxie was acknowledging that he was no longer the top dog.  That honor had befallen Big Dog.

I call it a Moxie Moment.

Because a few months later, I had my own Moxie Moment.

I belong to a poker group which plays monthly.  I have for more than 50 years.  While players have come and gone, a few of us old-timers have been with it since its inception.

I always considered myself the best poker player in the group.  Hell, I’ve always considered myself the best poker player in the room wherever I played.  But recently I’ve been on a losing streak.   I mentioned to the coordinator of the  poker group, who keeps the record of whose turn it is to host the game, that I had lost for the last four months.  His  -retort – -“You’ve been the loser for the last eight months.”

That was my Moxie Moment.  Age has crept up on me.  We usually play until midnight or later, but I’ve noticed that by 10:30 pm I have trouble staying awake and trouble concentrating.   I am no longer Top Dog at the poker table.