member at large

Winter Break has officially started, which means I get to sleep late (think 6:45 instead of 5:30),  enjoy two newspapers every morning, drink copious amounts of coffee, read a book (leaning toward Quiet by Susan Cain), whittle down my netflix queue, watch season one of Duck Dynasty (wait a minute... strike that), and just exist in the stilled hush of my house.  I can’t wait.  But this Winter Break is going to be not so still, not so hushed, as i’ve acquired two boarders who will be celebrating Christmas with me.  Through a series of unfortunate events involving a really large hole in a water tank, hardwood flooring, and approximately 12 industrial-sized fans, the absolute best golden retrievers in the world, Big Gabe and Little Zach, have temporarily moved in and pretty much immediately taken over the decision-making duties of the house.  They’re too incredibly sweet for me to do anything other than pet and love and squeeze on them, even though, combined, they weigh more than I do.

We’ve sniffed every single corner of the house.  We’ve had treats.  We’ve slept on the bed.  We’ve slept on the floor.  We’ve drank from the toilet.  We’ve chewed up socks.  We’ve smashed Christmas ornaments.  We’ve barked at the treat box.  We’ve snatched Moose Munch that fell on the floor.  But mostly, more than anything else, we’ve been thoroughly intrigued by the backyard.

And it’s the darnedest thing, because my backyard is nothing special in terms of backyards.  I’ll admit it has a great deck and perennial gardens, but for all intents and purposes it’s a run-of-the-mill outdoor space.  And right now, in the throws of winter, it’s nothing more than a cold, wet leaf pile.  I’m chalking it up to new smells, but whatever it is, Big Gabe and Little Zach can’t get enough of it.  Not unlike how I really enjoy running a new stretch of trail, they’ve had a field day running around and checking everything out.  And of course when they come back in they’re filthy, so we commence a meeting of the Muddy Paws Club, leaving our marks all over the tiled kitchen.

  
In what can only be described as a brief but hotly-contested campaign, Big Gabe was elected President and Little Zach became Secretary/Treasurer.  Through the process of elimination I have been appointed Member At Large, which, coincidentally, fits the current state of my waistline post-NYC Marathon.  I’ve swept and wiped up more in the last 36 hours than I have in the last month and it’s still a mess.  But they’re too darn sweet to try and do anything about it, so clean kitchen floors will be damned this holiday season.  

I had a great run this afternoon around Lake Fayetteville, enjoying the stark landscape of winter.  Few souls were baring the elements to get in a run, so the majority of the trail was lonely, but in a good way.  To say it was cold would be an understatement, but I was dressed appropriately for the elements.  The wind showed up as well, particularly on stretches that were exposed to the banks.  But the entire run I could do nothing more than enjoy it and be thankful for such a great season that is upon us.  Christmas is coming at just the right time and i’m excited to spend it with friends and family, celebrating the gift of life and the birth of love.  And make no mistake about it, that’s what the season means to me:  pure and real love for all people.  No caveats, no exception.  So enjoy the season, one and all, and spread some love around in whatever ways seems best.

Run.