The last month of intense work, illness, worry, and recovery
has been exhausting, yet in the end renewing. Details aside, it has been a rough month for
many of the people I love. But all is
well that ends well, I guess, and in coming back to a semi-normal routine feels
like a blessing.
So for the first time in almost 4 weeks, I went for a long
run this Saturday. At first it was hard
and I wondered if I would have to cut it short, as I often did after being sick
for two weeks due to lack of energy and weak lungs. However I hung in there and felt strong when
I finished. Along the way, I had a visit
with a dear friend. I saw a big black
lab, who locked his loving eyes on me and wiggled his rump like mad wanting to
say hello. Feeling like I would be
overstepping my bounds to pet him as I ran past, I stopped at the drinking
fountain to smile as he and his owner walked by. He made a b-line for the fountain and tore
away from her complacent grip on the leash to nuzzle and lick me. His owner, surprised, scolded her canine
friend apologizing to me. Her usually docile and obedient dog did not normally
behave like that. I let her know that no
apology was needed; I was delighted to meet a new friend. But that wasn’t entirely the truth, this dog
and many others like him seem to me to be an old friend, a friend I have been
lucky enough to keep my whole life.
David Hall is one of my most enduring friends; in fact he’s been my pal
since I was born. Our mothers and fathers were best friends growing up, and
David was like a big brother to me. My
friend David has always had a special bond with dogs. So much so, that each time I greet a special
new dog friend, I feel like I am getting one of David’s big bear hugs. The Black Labs have special meaning, David’s
long beloved canine partner Boulder, had these loving eyes that could penetrate
your soul. While Boulder is no longer
with us in physical form, very often I feel like Boulder is sending his brothers
on earth, to smile at me, to radiate love toward me through those big dark
eyes, and in this instance he just couldn’t resist coming over and saying
hello. The dialog I imagined as he saw
me run by on the trail, went something like this, “Hey! I know you! Look, it’s me! Hold still a minute, I need to give you a
cuddle!” My friend David lives in Oregon
now and while I know he is physically very far away I feel like my big bro
sends me these dear dogs to let me know he’s looking out for me and loving me,
like he always has. If you are reading
this DD, I appreciate your brotherly love and the guardians and playmates you
send my way in your absence. Hope to see
you in the flesh again soon!
After my animal love fest, I had to stop and talk to his
horse for a few minutes too! He was
eating carrots that someone had gifted him at the fence line.
Coming back to blogging after a hiatus feels challenging,
just as that first run did. There is the
feeling of needing to retell each detail of the last month, which might be cathartic
or by contrast, tedious. My fingers on the keyboard, typing out my experiences,
feel familiar but somehow new and different.
I wonder, can I still do this, did I forget how, have I lost my
touch. I set my worries aside and let
the words spill out. Slowly, it seems to
be coming back to me.
