For Granted

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We were reaching critical mass around here. There have been three really sad faces.

One is mine.

The other two belong to the dogs.

The rides around the neighborhood have been non-existent. No looking for the rabbits, birds, dogs and deer. Just day after day between the couch and the bed.

Dogs can really sleep!

Yet they look at me so hopefully in the morning and after dinner...their usual ride times.

"We gotta' stay," I tell them and I can see the sadness just take over their minds.

Yet I went to therapy the other day and asked, in front of my wife, whether I was cleared to drive.

"Two weeks," he said.

I was on my two week anniversary.

I looked at her.

"Dogs get to go for a ride," she said. "Oh joy."

But I still couldn't pull it off. The therapy brought no joy...more pain...we had to stay.

Yet I was determined.

On Thursday morning I made the announcement:

"Who wants to go for a ride?"

Damn, you'd have thought I was telling those dogs that they had front row tickets to a Springsteen show.

As I walked to my car it turned into an even bigger event as I thought of all the things I've taken for granted. I've been doing a bit of that thinking anyway as I laid around, but what a simple pleasure to just get the dogs in the car and drive a half a mile to get the paper.

I limped heavily into the store.

The woman behind the counter broke into a huge smile as she saw me. Perhaps she'd taken for granted seeing me each morning, but she immediately scowled at me.

"Why are you up to just get the paper?" she asked.

"I had to take the dogs for a ride," I said.

It's safe to say that my convenient store friend is firmly in my wife's camp on this issue.

But I made it safely back home.

We saw a big bird on the neighbor's lawn. The dogs went nuts as I pointed that son-of-a-bitch out to them.

As we settled in after our ten minute trip there were smiles all around.

One simple task, taken for granted on a lot of days, put the sad faces away.

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