Penny - Boundless Energy

We have a new puppy - she's been with us for a month and she's actually 7 months old, so more like a teenager, but she's still a puppy. I've been taking her for walks in the woods with Bentley and it has quickly become her favorite part of the day. Since Bentley is almost 7, it has been striking to see the difference between the two of them - especially when they're romping in the woods. Don't get me wrong, Bentley still loves the woods and can tell even by the clothes I put on that I'm getting ready to take them walking (that's probably because I tend to wear the same clothes every time we walk:) and begins whining immediately. The difference is most noticeable when they're running on ahead of me. Penny is boundless energy - a characteristic of the Vizsla breed which we didn't know before we got her; or at least, I didn't know. Bentley as the middle ager of the two tends to be more conservative in his explorations - trotting rather than galloping, stopping versus bounding, sticking close to me instead of making wide loops around me.

Penny, on the other hand, is a marvel to watch. She actually bounds - kind of a combination of bouncing and running, and it just makes me smile. Her joy in her freedom is contagious and something deep within me responds to that joy. I feel as if a long buried voice within me is being called out and it delights me.

At the same time, I'm very aware that my body is more like Bentley's - aging on the downhill side. I must know my limitations and treat my physical self with gentleness and care. This is a new attitude for me since I grew up believing in "no pain, no gain" (whoever came up with that slogan and why do we still believe it?) That attitude led me to several injuries which limit what I can do - from my torn hamstring, to my expensively reworked foot, to a tender shoulder as well as the notorious Stoll lower back - I'm not the athlete that I once was. I now know that exercise is good but it must respect the way my body feels. Rather than see these as limitations, I accept them as guides into more respectful ways of being a body (and not just having one.) I've discovered that walking is just as worthwhile as running and so much less punishing on my body. I'm also learning yoga and have a whole new respect for those who practice it (much harder than it looks - and I'm still on level 1!) Since I know that this aging process is continual, I'm anticipating needing to make more changes as the years go by and I know that loving my body now will make those adjustments less severe. If only I'd known this in my twenties when I was running 50 - 60 miles a week -think of all the miles I put on my body then! Then again, this is the wisdom to be gained in middle age which is right smack dab where I'm at.

So, as I walk the dogs in the woods, I feel as if the story of my life is being played out right in front of me. I'm finding ways to embrace the joy of the child within me without having to beat my body to do it. I can accept the place that I'm at in life and still listen to the joy that sings deep within my soul. I'm so very grateful for this new awareness and the opportunity to live it out each day. I'm learning to trust that this shift in my life can be a witness to those around me and perhaps I can spare my children from some of the mistakes I made. Probably not, but at least they'll be able to see what midlife adjustment looks like:). In the meantime I'm going to keep walking my dogs and loving the joy that comes from being with them in the woods.