Bittersweet

This morning, after sleeping in until past 8 a.m. (Oh, how I love the weekends!), I got Lizzy into the car with some difficulty, since she is the first dog I've ever met who hates the car (although, come to think of it, Geni didn't like car rides, either) and we drove less than a mile to check on Pepper, whose house sitter had to go away last night on a short trip.

I leashed Pepper and took them both for a walk on the same road that I used to walk with Rusty and Geni on almost every morning and almost every night for the last two years of their lives. The memories were bittersweet, especially seeing what good friends Lizzy and Pepper are. They endure each others' foibles and they enjoy each others' company. Just like Rusty and Geni used to do. Although those two were more like an old marriage than old friends.

Dogs are pack animals and it's always more fun to walk two dogs than only one, I've realized. They have more fun together and, as a result, the walk tends to be more pleasant and, in Lizzy's case, less hectic because she wants to be the one who leads by example, something she has no incentive to do when she's walking by herself.

Another thing that never ceases to impress me is how flexible some dogs can be. Rusty was the least flexible dog I've ever met, ever anxious about and unfriendly to strangers. But Pepper is one of the most accommodating dogs and she doesn't seem to be moping because her entire family has vanished (they're all on a ship in the middle of the Pacific headed for Japan). Instead, she loves to come over and play with Lizzy and she likes their walks together, too.

There's much to be learned from dogs, as I've said before in these pages. Not only can they turn a walk in the snow into the greatest of all adventures, but I like that "come what may, I'm going to take it in the best way possible" attitude. It's a good reminder to live in the moment and to not obsess about the past or worry about the future. I like studying Canine Philosophy 101.