The puppy, freedom, and music

Summer bristles at limits, which makes her a dog after my own heart.

The limits are our way of keeping her safe, but who are we to assume we know what’s good for her? Maybe she is capable of fending for herself.

I see a similarity in the way government looks after us — as if we are dogs who need a guiding hand and limits — and so I empathize when Summer chews at her leash, refuses to acknowledge my call, or pulls at the leash to say, “No, I’m going this way and you can’t stop me, excep...