
More than a dog walk
One late winter morning when my puppy Asha and I were walking on a dirt road about a mile from home, Asha pulled me to a small trail that led into the woods.
Why not? I thought.
And off we went.
My easy willingness surprised me because I had stopped walking in these woods, which two decades earlier had delighted me and my two yellow Labs, Molly and Codi. I would laugh as they ran, swam and explored and I would feel myself unwind.
It’s hard to say why I avoided the woods.
And it’s just as difficult to know why I said yes when Asha pulled me toward them.
Maybe I knew she needed the freedom to run off leash. Maybe I knew I needed to be off leash too. Maybe something in me knew I needed the woods again.
It’s okay if I don’t know the reasons.
What matters is that we started walking in the woods — and stories followed.
And now it’s time to give them their own space.