Argos I Am Not

When I think about recognizing things or having good memories or even the longevity of loyalty, I often think about Argos (sometimes Argus) from The Odyssey.  Argos was Odysseus’ dog who stayed behind while his owner went to Troy.  When Odysseus finally returned to his palace after a 20 year abscence and an ardous journey home, Argos was the first (and one of the very few) to recognize him.  The dog was over twenty years old and lived much longer than most dogs.  He was weak, old and neglected, lying in a manure pile.  But old age and Odysseus’ disguise as a beggar did not prevent the dog from knowing his master.  When Argos saw Odysseus, he was too weak to stand, but wagged his tail and finally allowed himself to die.

 
Argos recognizes his master and dies

Well, I haven’t had a twenty year absence and I’m already struggling to recognize my own siblings!  At Chuck E. Cheese, I didn’t realize my bearded brother was standing right next to me.  I’ve had similiar struggles with my sister and her new blond hair.  An example is when I was looking at pictures from Greg Zumbrook‘s wedding.  Perusing the thumbnails, I quickly recognized Clint:

“Oh, there’s Clint,” I thought, “…and some chick.”

I clicked on the photo and when the larger version came up, I was surprised to find that “some chick” was actually my sister!

Some chick and Clint

Whoops.  I think it is safe to say I have a ways to go to match the abilities of Argus.