Yellow Dog

We arrived in Twentynine Palms, a nearby town to Joshua Tree National Park, well after 9:00 p.m., so it was dark as a pocket. It was disconcerting to wake up the next morning and see our surroundings for the first time nearly 10 hours after arriving in them.

Ahem, it is a desert. Dry, sandy, scrubby, rocky desert. And cold -- the low our first morning there was 22 degrees.

There seemed only two reasonable responses to all this dry cold: eat breakfast (we were, after all, staying at a lovely B&B, and isn't breakfast one of the Bs?), and go for a walk.

The walk part -- that's where Yellow Dog comes in. I lost Matt for a few minutes as  I peered into my overnight bag and pondered how many layers to layer on. I found him outside talking to a stocky, yellow dog. The dog was on the move, grinning like a fool as the patrolled the field behind our cottage. He displayed a number of dog-like habits -- stopping mid-sprint if an aroma caught his attention, sprinkling mailboxes, and investigating trash with the intensity of a crime scene detective. All cute and fun to watch on our Twentynine Palms stroll.

What was interesting about Yellow Dog was his response to us. I know this is anthropomorphizing and a serious insult to animal behavioralists -- but that dog seemed tickled pink to have us along for his morning routine. Although he did not once veer off his sniffing and chasing duties, he glanced over is left shoulder at us, time and time again, as if to say, "Isn't this just the best?" He often ran straight at us,  ears and tail flapping, each time getting closer and closer, until his last charge when I felt a woosh of cold air between him and my knees. When we neared a No Trespassing sign, he parked himself between us and it -- that is until a pile of discarded vacuum cleaners caught his attention. And as we stepped back onto the porch of our cottage, he skittered past with one last, loopy grin.

Here's what we learned from Yellow Dog:

1. Be aware.
2. Immerse in each moment.
3. There is joy in habit.
4. Make new friends -- no matter how long the relationship might last.