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.