But a dog, a dog! Unless a dog is crippled with arthritis and is too stiff in the hips to leap down the front steps first thing in the morning, a dog will demonstrate all its master is missing with a display of full-throttled enthusiasm of life, tearing circles around the yard, rolling over in play with the neighbor’s mongrel, treeing a squirrel and only coming to heel when called brusquely back inside by his human, impatient and uncomfortable in the morning chill, longing for coffee and on-line headlines.
Even the barn cats, rising and arching their backs against my legs in the morning will turn and scamper out of the barn, going full tilt across the lawn until picking a random tree to scuttle up, waiting momentarily, then dropping down again to tear away in a blur of orange and calico.
It’s not simply ‘Spring Fever’ they are exhibiting. It’s a full-blown love affair with life. And I’m quite sure many of us remember it from time to time. It’s why we can’t stop watching puppies playing on our computer. It’s why we cherish the spirit of the Mustang, galloping over the desert west. We recognize these physical displays as charming, powerful, beautiful and touching. It’s just that our own, personal, memories of such behavior have turned sepia-toned and tucked away.
So, go ahead…find your patch of grass and practice that cartwheel your were trying to perfect before trying out for Junior High cheerleading. Take your dog off-lead and try to keep up. Push your best friend into the creek.
No one’s looking.