I know it can be absolutely dreadful to read about other peoples’ pets. Constantly making animals the topic of your material can be boring and totally unbearable for the reader; however, my pet is exactly what has prompted me to write today. So, in my attempt to be interesting, I will try to write from the human perspective, with Katie as a prop (a huge prop, by the way).
A few nights ago, I was rescued from boredom and the overwhelmed-ness of kids by Jason’s suggestion to go for a walk. Not just any walk though, but “The First Walk of Spring!” I rarely walk in the winter months because my hands and toes can’t tolerate it (old lady-ish, I know). But, the snow has entirely melted, the birds are singing, and one only needs a light fleece to be comfortable...the perfect evening. I will also add, that on that day, we were making huge efforts to keep Katie’s ears up….it seems that the outdoors (specifically, sunshine) really keeps her droopy ear up (with all of the nature to listen for, etc). So, Jason’s suggestion was not entirely focused on keeping me alive via good health habits, he was mainly hoping to get Katie some good exercise and interest her ears in staying pointy.
Nevertheless, I anticipated the rare solitary moment to think and reflect (that’s what I do on walks, by the way… solve problems and dream). I geared up with my UnderArmor gloves, choke chain with reflective leash, and music…that’s where I hit a snafu. Despite what you might suspect, I can think best if my auditory system is occupied by melodies, harmonies, and lyrics… extraneous, abrupt noises of the neighborhood distract me. If nature were my only companion, that might be fine; but, the sounds of cars, power tools, and people milling about, robs me of the solitude that I’m seeking. Music cancels it out.
You would think that the music wouldn’t be the problem in going for a walk. Finding your shoes or collecting the dog, maybe; but not scrounging some tunes. Alas, the “adult” MP3 (i.e. Jason’s) had a run-down battery. My next option was to borrow Sam’s. Now, I’m not that techie with these new devices. I spent about 15 minutes trying to upload some of my songs and thought that I had them.
So, Katie and I started out….walking her is no small feat…it is like a whole body workout, for sure. Eighty pounds of mass pulling you down the sidewalk, while you are trying earnestly to teach her some walking manners (makes for nice sore calves and quads). That alone sapped some of my joy. She expects to begin with a full run (and her “run” is like my sprint)….poor girl has to slow to a crawl so that my small stride can keep up with her. In order to make her heel, I have to wrap the leash around my wrist three times, then wrap it under my elbow and hold it tight with the other hand (creates nice bulging forearms and biceps, though…and I think even some lower back soreness, as it tweaks the muscles connecting the lumbar vertebrae). This walking posture is definitely not ergonomic, for sure!
Dog and I finally got in a groove after the first block. Then I set my attention on the iPod….why was I only hearing an elderly woman reading “A Wrinkle In Time”? Where were my songs!? Books on Tape were not going to get me through this walk. While de-tangling myself from the leash and keeping the dog from dragging me into mailboxes and stop signs, I began frantically pushing the ‘advance’ button…only to find that my songs were nowhere! Two choices (three actually): go home, continue and listen to 10 year-old selections, or continue and listen to environmental sounds. Not wanting to disappoint the dog, nor return to my abode, I chose Sam’s iPod. Katie and I proceeded to trudge along to: The City of Prague Philharmonic (Star Wars theme songs), Camille Saint Saëns (gloomy-suspense type classical), Haydn’s Symphony Nos. 94 and 101, and (lastly and strangely) Pink Floyd (per Jason). Pink Floyd is so creepy in several different ways (definitely not exercising music).
I was beside myself that these were my options, but then realized that Saint Saëns and Star Wars songs can be a nice backdrop for pondering AND walking. The suspenseful parts were a bit creepy as I strolled along in the dark….I kept feeling that I was waiting for something climactic to happen! But, my trusty guard dog soon fell into place beside me, keeping stride with our action-packed classical tempo (I’m sure there’s some musical term for that). She has proven herself to be a good walking companion…she doesn’t talk to me or interrupt my thoughts, she watches out for weirdos, and she doesn’t mind the music ;)
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