Enzo the Labrador on the art of racing in the rain
The story opens at the death bed of Enzo, a Labrador, owned by Denny Swift, a champion race car driver whose best asset is racing in the rain. To a racetrack afficionado, the ability to drive a race car on wet tracks takes a lot of foresight, ability and skill. The almost human Enzo is used by the author to teach us how to be human, how to live one’s life despite all its trials and tribulations and how to be a champion at the racetrack.
Winnie Ferrer, a friend who loves dogs and books about dogs, quotes Denny who is asked how one would treat a dog. “Very gently. Like there are eggshells on your pedals,” Denny always says, “That’s how you drive in the rain. Balance, anticipation, patience. These are all vital. Seeing things you’ve never seen before. Kinesthetic sensation, driving by the seat of your pants, a driver must not have a memory of things he’d done just a second before. Because memory is time unfolding back on itself, we need to remember to disengage from the present. In order to reach any kind of success in automobile racing, a driver must never remember. Racing is doing. It is part of the moment and being aware of nothing else but that moment. Reflection must come at a later time,” Denny explains.
In a book written by Garth Stein, Denny recalls the great champion Julian Sabella Rosa who stated, “When I am racing, my mind and body are working so quickly and so well together, I must be sure not to think, or else I will definitely make a mistake.”
“That which you manifest is before you,” she said. “Drivers are afraid of the rain. Rain amplifies your mistakes, and water on the track can make your car handle unpredictably. When this happens, you have to react to it. If you’re reacting at speed, you’re reacting too late. And you should be afraid. “
These are but a few lines the author has brilliantly chosen, seemingly practical but deeply philosophical when one allows it to expand into our daily lives. Enzo is limited by his being a dog exhibiting almost human values that a person should possess. Still, he shares lessons and experiences in life, pointing out human foibles and day-to-day human errors which go unnoticed but which would definitely change the outcome of the situation. Enzo could make one relish the beauty in the scenery before him and so many other abilities.
The skill of a writer lies in how he can put thoughts into words and thus create vivid pictures, draw out the emotion from readers who lose themselves in the book. We, humans, become as much a part of the Swift household together with Enzo, feeling with him all the joys and pains that are part and parcel of their daily lives. From birth to death, from jubilation to despair, from fear to bravery, love, care and loyalty — the whole cycle of life is alive in each of the pages of the book.
Garth is such an
author. For us, The Art of Racing in the Rain is one of those books that have allowed us a thousand mental somersaults aside from the tears of sadness and joy. Thank you, Garth.We are all pet lovers.
After reading this piece about Enzo, the Labrador, our mind travels to the two Askals we keep at home. Mia, the older one, is a rescued dog from Cara Welfare Philippines, an animal welfare institution. She is blind in one eye but is loving and follows instructions to the letter. She has been with us for six years.
The younger dog Tabatha is almost one year old, pretty, with an appetite of an older dog and exceedingly undisciplined. But we love them just the same. They may not have the brains of Enzo but one of these days, they may just surprise us.
(Send your comments to bibsyfotos@yahoo.com or text me at 0917-8991835.)