A Walk with Bodi

Below is my Final Essay for Invitation of the Redwood Grove.

It is a glorious sunny day in our neighborhood. Temperatures are near perfect at 71 degrees. I’m not sure that anyone who was raised in California can ever appreciate how lucky they are to enjoy this spectacular beauty and weather all year long. Maybe everyone should spend a few winters in New York or Chicago or Boston to really appreciate this gift. I grew up on the banks of the Hudson River in upstate New York where winters were long and cold and windy. I spent many long winters there. I adore California weather.

I ask my dog Bodi if she would like to go on a walk. She loves this word and jumps two feet straight in the air to show her excitement. She is an Aussie Doodle.  Half Australian Shepherd and half Poodle. Eternally happy and hoppy. She is jet black with a large spot of white on her chest, strands of white throughout her tail and on two of her paws. Her hair right around her mouth is turning red. Her coat of fur is thick and extremely soft. People stop and ask to pet her all the time and she seems very proud of that. She is 16 months old and still very much a puppy, even though perhaps she should be beyond this stage.

We head out the door and on our way to the park. Another word that Bodi adores. To me, a park is a lovely green space to go relax or picnic or walk in the sun. To Bodi, a park is one of the most joyous places in the world. It is a place filled with other dogs, people and best of all- squirrels to chase at full tilt with glorious abandon.

We start walking to the park on our beautiful neighborhood street. It is autumn in California and the colors are vivid. Red and yellow leaves on many of the trees. Tall green conifers reaching up to the sky. We see green bushes with red berries boldly screaming to the birds to come eat them for breakfast. We see roses, past their prime, but still beautiful—like aging Hollywood screen star legends.

There are purple flowers reaching upwards to the sun. We pass a tree with yellow fruit that almost looks like oranges. I’m not sure what these are—perhaps persimmons? And then we see fabulous hanging flowers that are beautiful colors of coral and cream.  They look like berries, but they are not. There is a palm tree next to some more beautiful fir trees, a bit out of place, but working to fit in.

Bodi continues her happy, bouncy walk. We pass three Free Little Libraries on our way. I drop two books I have read in the first library that we pass. And, more to Bodi’s liking, we pass three yellow fire hydrants. Viewed by most as mere utilities of safety, but to Bodi these represent a wonderland of aromas. As we near the park, Bodi starts walking faster and pulling on her leash. Her excitement is palpable.

Finally, we arrive at the small, beautiful park. I allow Bodi off the leash which is against the rules, but she is very well trained and returns on commend almost always. She runs around sniffing and looking for squirrels. There is a man lying in the field who appears homeless.  He is repeating the same indecipherable phrases over and over.  Bodi runs over to him and I worry that she will scare him. I call her back and she obeys reluctantly. He seemed quite interesting to her, so she is disappointed that I don’t allow her to visit. I apologize to the man and he says “No Problem” quite cheerily. Maybe he needed some love and affection? Bodi is very good at that.

We continue walking around the small lake in the center of the park. We hear music behind the lake and we wander over that way to listen. A young man is playing the saxophone, and someone is videotaping this session. The music is beautiful and floats softly through the air. I put Bodi back on the leash so that she doesn’t make a cameo appearance.

We walk back around the lake. The fountain in the middle shoots straight up in the sky. It is soft and magical. Continuous. Two ducks swim around it enjoying the spray. There is a sign that says, “Help Keep the Ducks Wild and Free.” It goes on to tell us not to feed the ducks as it causes dependence on human feeding, discourages them from migrating, causes over population and leaves them vulnerable to predators. I whisper quietly to the ducks that they shouldn’t depend on humans anyway—we are notoriously unreliable.

As we continue our walk along the lake, I notice the sun high in the sky sending its glorious beams all along the lake. The lake reflects the sun and shadows. Ripples are spreading from the fountain streams. There are very large fish in the shallows as we walk away from the fountain. They are swimming lazily in the sun. Bodi tries to crawl under the split rail fence for a closer inspection of these odd things. I pull her back slowly.

I find a park bench and sit down for a moment to enjoy the solitude. Bodi jumps up to sit beside me. We relax in the sun as we listen to the fountain, the birds and the soft saxophone music in the distance. I enjoy the warmth of the sun, but I cover up my spot on my wrist where the Melanoma was removed. Despite my constant use of sunscreen, I’m more wary of the sun than I used to be even though the doctor said they got all the cancer. I need to be ever vigilant from now on. I breathe a mediation of gratitude for my health and this day. Our visit to the park has been nearly perfect, except that there were no squirrels for Bodi to chase. She seems very content though. Always a happy dog.

We leave the park to continue our journey home in the sun. We pass two young girls skipping toward the park with their masks on. The sun continues to shine, and we are getting warm. Bodi is panting after her exploration. We see a woman stopping at the Little Free Library where I left my two books. I resist the urge to tell her about them. I think she will enjoy them more if she discovers them on her own.

I notice all the signs along the road. Prepare to stop. Stop. Slow Down, Children Playing. No Parking. There are yard signs as well. We Heart our School. I wonder what the world would be like if we had signs that said: Smile, Relax, Love, Enjoy Life, Be Kind. I see that Christmas wreaths are starting to appear on the doors. One lone house still has all its wild Halloween decorations up despite it being almost December. I feel their pain. It’s hard to keep up.

I pause and look up. I am distracted by two big hawks flying high in the sky. They are circling slowly, gliding softly through the air around three tall conifers. Is that their home I wonder? They are powerful and beautiful all at once. They glide so slowly I feel their elegance. Are they mates? Are they hunting or just enjoying the currents of air above? As Bodi starts to pull on her leash, eager to get home, I wonder if I’ll see these beautiful birds again. Unlike their small prey scurrying on the ground, I can feel respect and awe for them. I can wish to see them again.

As we near our apartment, Bodi finally sees a squirrel. She tenses up. Poises in her hunter’s pose.  But alas, she is on the leash and too close to the road to be set free to attempt to catch her prey. She never catches them. Maybe that is why she likes them so much. Like our walk in the California sunshine, she appreciates the journey, the chase, and the overall ambience and adventure. Luckily, unlike the ducks in the pond, she doesn’t need to catch her dinner and her human is quite reliable and timely, for the most part.

I open the door to our apartment and breathe deeply. Bodi immediately jumps on the coach to cool down and relax. Smile, Relax, Love, Enjoy Life, Be Kind. Another glorious day in sunny California. I’m grateful.