This post is a rerun. I post occasional reruns as a kindness to myself and to unearth old posts for new readers. You can read about reruns, too.
Today’s rerun is Walks of Life. When I was scrolling back through posts to figure out which one I’d rerun today, this one caught my eye. I realized I’d forgotten the walk that I do every day: the dog walk.
Sometimes I walk the dog alone, and sometimes my wife and I walk the dog together. Regardless, every walk is sort of the same, and every walk is different (in some way). When you do a walk every day, you start to notice how, and to think about the walk you want to have.
There are the walks that come at the end of a long day, and where all you want to do it put a podcast on and get through it.
There are the walks where you notice things in your neighborhood that you’ve never noticed before and marvel at them.
There are the walks where you seem to lead, where the dog seems to lead, and where you seem to be completely in sync.
I’ve set out on a walk multiple times after a stressful day wishing that I didn’t have to do this darn walk, only to find myself 20 minutes into the walk realizing that it’s the best part of my day: fresh air in my lungs, blood pumping around my body, and a perfect companion at my side.
I’ve worked through problems on our walks, witnessed the sky transform into dream-like hues, connected with folks I might never have met. I’ve shared moments with my wife, and the three of us have shared moments together—fun, silly, loving moments that I cherish.
Dog walks are not the reason that we got a dog, but they turned out to be an unexpected gift. Whilst she’ll never read it (rude), this post it a thank you to our dog, Cacio. I love walking, and some of the best walks are our walks—especially when the whole pack’s together.