Ah I loved hearing this story Jack but getting to read the detail and see the photos mixed in was even more special. I still wonder why those dogs followed you, what they saw.
A mutual friend once told me, in his deepest moments of loneliness hiking in Georgia he had to leave his dog behind and prayed for a new companion, only for a friend to show up out of nowhere. It’s like we’re sent companions on the path when we need them most.
Thanks for your kind words, Tommy. Appreciate your readership and support, as always.
The universe seems to have a way of giving us what we need when we most need it. Hiking with those dogs on that day was just that. I was 4 or so weeks into my solo trip and feeling lonely. As you know, solo travel can feel isolating.
The photos were a fun add to paint some more colour into this essay. Glad you noticed and enjoyed them :)
...incredible jack...crazy enough i had a similar hike in armenia (dillijan) and a trail dog joined me and my pack of friends all the way to the waterfall and back (twice -- it sherpa'd different folks at different times of the day)...later in the eve she hung out with us for drinks and dinner under the night and when it came time for bed walked me to my cabin...i offered to let her in and sleep but she just sat at the door and slept for a bit until i closed the cabin...dogs are incredible, especially ones raised in nature and the streets...
Such a great story, CansaFis. Thank you for sharing that with me. Dogs really are incredible creatures. Their sense of loyalty, duty, and protection are unparalleled. I think that’s why we love them so much: they are there for us and love us no matter who we are or what we do and they will never betray us.
Thank you, Jeremy! Appreciate you reading and showing up in the comments. Freya's article was great and so is the DFW quote -- both opened my eyes to a new perspective on what's happening in society right now.
Love this, Jack. So much of life comes to us through our "welcoming the unexpected." It's like a certain kind of openness, availability to life happening through us, rather than to us.
I once wrote a poem called "Listen for the Unexpected." Who knows? I might make a post out of it! "Listen for" is a "way of being" towards life, an invitation, a welcoming itself, if that makes any sense.
Amba, thank you so much for reading and for this lovely comment :)
Listening to the unexpected sounds like a post I would love to read, and find immensely useful. I've talked with James Bailey about this before, but internally I have a great need for certainty that I often find myself trying to let go of. The alternative is to live with insufferable anxiety as so much of life exists in the fog of uncertainty.
Listening for life, honing an attitude of welcoming, living wholeheartedly... all skills that take time and patience and practice, but ones that make life so much richer.
Guardian angel dogs! I love the idea that what will be fiercely loyal to you might test your mettle upon first meeting to see if you can stand your ground. After that, you've earned a devoted protector. And that photo of the angles by the waterfall . . . is epic!
I love that, Rick. There's something to that idea of fierce loyalty that must be first earned through some test, or right of passage. I think that exists in many relationships and friendships today. Some of my most loyal friendships, people who I know would go to war for me, were slow to develop at first. A test, perhaps? As always, thanks for reading, popping into the comments, and making me think.
We also had a good dog story while hiking in Provence. A dog with a cone followed or led us in a 8 mile hilly hike. Along the way he lost the cone, which I picked up and carried until we reached the little hillside group of houses. He disappeared into a yard where the owner was outside raking. I gave him the cone and told him how the dog had spent the afternoon with us, to which he replied, ‘he likes a good walk.’
Marcia, thank you so much for reading! Ah Provence, a beautiful corner of the world. That is a great story and uncannily similar to mine. I think both of our stories highlight why there is, and has been for a very long time, such a strong bond between human and dog: a partnership of companionship and protection, of mutual service and giving. Thank you for sharing this story with me :)
Ah I loved hearing this story Jack but getting to read the detail and see the photos mixed in was even more special. I still wonder why those dogs followed you, what they saw.
A mutual friend once told me, in his deepest moments of loneliness hiking in Georgia he had to leave his dog behind and prayed for a new companion, only for a friend to show up out of nowhere. It’s like we’re sent companions on the path when we need them most.
Beautiful writing (:
Thanks for your kind words, Tommy. Appreciate your readership and support, as always.
The universe seems to have a way of giving us what we need when we most need it. Hiking with those dogs on that day was just that. I was 4 or so weeks into my solo trip and feeling lonely. As you know, solo travel can feel isolating.
The photos were a fun add to paint some more colour into this essay. Glad you noticed and enjoyed them :)
...incredible jack...crazy enough i had a similar hike in armenia (dillijan) and a trail dog joined me and my pack of friends all the way to the waterfall and back (twice -- it sherpa'd different folks at different times of the day)...later in the eve she hung out with us for drinks and dinner under the night and when it came time for bed walked me to my cabin...i offered to let her in and sleep but she just sat at the door and slept for a bit until i closed the cabin...dogs are incredible, especially ones raised in nature and the streets...
Such a great story, CansaFis. Thank you for sharing that with me. Dogs really are incredible creatures. Their sense of loyalty, duty, and protection are unparalleled. I think that’s why we love them so much: they are there for us and love us no matter who we are or what we do and they will never betray us.
Appreciate you reading brother.
Great story, Jack! Also, I really appreciated both the Freya India and DFW quotes at the end.
Thank you, Jeremy! Appreciate you reading and showing up in the comments. Freya's article was great and so is the DFW quote -- both opened my eyes to a new perspective on what's happening in society right now.
Love this, Jack. So much of life comes to us through our "welcoming the unexpected." It's like a certain kind of openness, availability to life happening through us, rather than to us.
I once wrote a poem called "Listen for the Unexpected." Who knows? I might make a post out of it! "Listen for" is a "way of being" towards life, an invitation, a welcoming itself, if that makes any sense.
Thank you for this.
Amba, thank you so much for reading and for this lovely comment :)
Listening to the unexpected sounds like a post I would love to read, and find immensely useful. I've talked with James Bailey about this before, but internally I have a great need for certainty that I often find myself trying to let go of. The alternative is to live with insufferable anxiety as so much of life exists in the fog of uncertainty.
Listening for life, honing an attitude of welcoming, living wholeheartedly... all skills that take time and patience and practice, but ones that make life so much richer.
Guardian angel dogs! I love the idea that what will be fiercely loyal to you might test your mettle upon first meeting to see if you can stand your ground. After that, you've earned a devoted protector. And that photo of the angles by the waterfall . . . is epic!
I love that, Rick. There's something to that idea of fierce loyalty that must be first earned through some test, or right of passage. I think that exists in many relationships and friendships today. Some of my most loyal friendships, people who I know would go to war for me, were slow to develop at first. A test, perhaps? As always, thanks for reading, popping into the comments, and making me think.
We also had a good dog story while hiking in Provence. A dog with a cone followed or led us in a 8 mile hilly hike. Along the way he lost the cone, which I picked up and carried until we reached the little hillside group of houses. He disappeared into a yard where the owner was outside raking. I gave him the cone and told him how the dog had spent the afternoon with us, to which he replied, ‘he likes a good walk.’
Marcia, thank you so much for reading! Ah Provence, a beautiful corner of the world. That is a great story and uncannily similar to mine. I think both of our stories highlight why there is, and has been for a very long time, such a strong bond between human and dog: a partnership of companionship and protection, of mutual service and giving. Thank you for sharing this story with me :)