Pure Joy

I have started running with Farley in the evenings. Most week day evenings I'm trading boots, half chaps, and riding gloves for my Saucony's, Timex Ironman watch, and an ipod. On the canal bank, Farley matches me stride for stride as we walk and run along. Yesterday we did 4.5 miles. On the way home she pushes me, never pulling, but always encouraging me to run negative splits on the way home a little faster today. Sometimes I drop back next to her flank and watch her stride along, even and perfect. Sometimes we meet other runners, running with their more conventional pets. Do they feel the same joy?


After our run I pull out an apple. I never used to eat very many apples because I'm never hungry for a whole one and I don't want to waste it. I'm a banana person. But now I have a partner who is willing to share an apple. I take a bite. She takes a bit. I take another bite. Back and forth until apple juice runs from her muzzle and my hands. She's not pushy, just there, waiting her turn.


Yesterday during the apple sharing ritual, I realized that this was an activity that was only between Farley and I and that it made me happy (Minx and I never ran together and she couldn't care less about apples and carrots). And the healing process goes on. I'm rediscovering activities I used to do when I only had one horse. Like running, relaxing, and spending time grooming without feeling guilty that there was another horse, waiting to be ridden.

I'm going shoe shopping with my mom tonight. She's going to buy a pair of good running shoes (her first?). I'm going to pick up a pair of trail runners. My Saucony Triumphs do not cut it on the trails, and running in my Ariat Terrains during weekend trail rides is giving me blisters.


I received my knife I ordered from Cabelas's the other day. A Kershaw rainbow leek. It's gorgeous. It's suppose to replace the Kershaw knife that Matt bought me for my 21st birthday. It was perfect in every way. Except now I can't find it. It has dropped off the face of the earth. In the three weeks that I was "knife-less", it seemed I needed a knife every 5 minutes. Now that I finally have a new knife, I haven't had to cut anything for DAYS. Except my thumb. The only thing I've used my new knife for is to slice off the side of my thumb. In the first 5 minutes of ownership.