To escape for a bit is human (and vital)
KAMLOOPS — Yesterday morning was a magical one. Snow and temperatures below 10 for a change after days of almost minus 15. Puppy and I found our way to Peterson Creek and, aside from snow, we found exuberance. It’s perhaps a stretch to attribute that to a silent landscape partially lost in snow, but it was there. We followed our noses up a trail as if on some treasure hunt.
The elderly gentleman we met on one of the higher trails and his happy Retriever joined us for part of the hike. We talked about dogs, the joy of having someone get you up in the morning with the most loving stare there is and no words necessary, and we talked about how walking can add so much goodness to one’s life.
The lady we met next was out with her bouncy 5-year-old daughter and an equally bouncy big Bernese mountain dog. We shared smiles, opinions about how every child is so beautifully different from all the others, and about how the bond between children and dogs is one to marvel at. When we parted ways, the sun was shining and the air was sparkling with tiny snowflakes dancing every which way.
It felt fulfilling to be there and see it all. I welcomed the break from everything that is usually playing tug of war with my mood. I am chagrined about many things. That we are still considering building pipelines and relying on fossil fuels when the urgency to address climate change should include anything else but.