Last night I was out walking the dogs.
It is an everyday routine.
Two or three times a day.
Almost every day for years.
It is a task that I enjoy.
I look forward to the walk, even if I really don’t feel up to being outside.
The dogs seem to enjoy a walk. It is good for all of us.
But I digress.
My next door neighbor was walking down the street, alone.
I asked him where his dog Ajax was.
“Ajax died today”, was his reply.
I expressed condolences, he nodded and continued onward.
He was taking ‘The Walk’.
Retracing the path taken so many times before.
But now alone.
It brought back too many memories of the time I did ‘The Walk’.
It made me sad to remember, it still does.
It has been years since, and we have two new wonderful companions to continue the walks into the future.
To a certain degree the day to day tasks of living with companion animals seem a lot like work.
Something that just has to be done.
Until the day that, suddenly, your services are no longer needed.
What do you do then?
You Walk to honor your friend.