Taking Ruby, the energetic cockerapoo pup, for her daily walks has been a revelation in many ways. She is full of curiosity, inquisitiveness and has a nose set to seek out mischief. Her doggy being simple requires walking and there is no debate. So I have at last been disciplined into taking regular exercise by a dog; simply the best personal trainer anyone could ask for. It is impossible to make excuses for avoiding a brisk walk when your doggy looks so dejected and disappointment sitting by the door, or to resist the keen enthusiasm of a dog straining on the lead, desperate to get out into the big wide world.
Every wind heralds another scent and Ruby charges from aroma to aroma, dashing about in her own world of delicious smells. Walking with Ruby is not a matter of going from A to B, it a thorough exploration of the alphabet!! It is easy though, on walks, to allow your mind much like Ruby's nose to wander. My thoughts are chasing smells, darting from worries to plans to ideas to memories: resting for a second perhaps on a plan or worse, lingering for a while on a worry. In a mere mile I can cover the whole gauntlet of emotions from pleasure to tears to glee to horror and back again.
My dog walking mornings are a wonderful opportunity for emptying my head of petty thoughts and worthless worries and pointless niggles. I can watch Ruby intent on moving forward, seeking out new scents to smell and only occasionally darting back for a second sniff at a lingering whiff. Much like her I have learnt to jettison the crap and move onwards straining on the lead of life. And if occasionally I look back thinking I caught the aroma of the past, I can be forgiven for that.
I love Ruby, she is beautiful.
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