Chestnuts

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Perhaps one of my favorite parts of going out on our daily walks is when i randomly discover a nut. I don’t mean a vagrant or a yeti, i mean a legitimate nut…like a chestnut or an acorn.  When i spot a nut on the ground, or sniff one out under a pile of leaves and a mound of dirt, i pounce. Not pounce as in “Hey, cool, a nut”… i pounce as in “IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY IN THIS WORLD, I FOUND A NUT!!!”

Sometimes Molly sees the same nut as me—she is lower to the ground with a better view—and we have a bit of a scramble to determine who can get their muddy paws on it first.  You would think my giant puppy body should always win the battle of our bulge, but as i mentioned before, Molly is ninety solid pounds of doggie flesh, and if she gets there before me, i must use my finely tuned Jedi mind power to find another path to victory.  

I usually try to flatten her with my ginormous paw. Or i just find another nut…they’re everywhere!

Nut in mouth, our walk continues, and it typically goes a little something like this:  i drop the nut, toss the nut, lay down and roll over the nut. I nudge the nut, bite the nut, and step on the nut.  I sniff the nut, look at the nut, hack up a piece of the nut which i inadvertently swallowed, and generally have one of the best days ever because I HAVE FOUND A NUT.

If i get bored with the nut, which i sometimes do because i have the attention span of a puppy, i leave it behind me for another day and explore our surroundings for some other means of walk-time entertainment.  

A STICK!  

OH MY GOODNESS, IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY IN THIS WORLD, I FOUND A STICK!!!

Sticks are even more fun than nuts because Molly and i can actually hold onto a stick together while we trot down the trail.  I use the phrase “hold onto together” as a gentle understatement for the combative camaraderie only two siblings with one toy can truly bring.

The bigger the stick the better, and it typically looks something like this:  we grab the stick, i pull the stick, she yanks the stick, i bite the stick. I lift the stick above her head (hee-hee-hee), she jumps for the stick, we tug on the stick, she chews the stick.  We whack a person in the knees with the stick, we spin the stick, we growl at the stick, and generally have one of the best days ever because WE HAVE FOUND A STICK.

There are sticks and nuts all around us, but most people don’t take the time to pick one up and learn what adventures lie within. I mean, who knows how much fun you could really have with a stick until you try.  I do, i’m a dog, but some cats, they’re just too busy to enjoy the simplest parts of life. I look around and see swimming pools, movie stars and i think, “Phil, move away from there!” I say “out in nature is the place i gotta be” so i pack up my sticks and i play with Molly.

Don’t be afraid if the Jones family lives next door.  Let them be. Find happiness in the minutes you spend with a true friend, a good stick, and a certifiable nut.  i’m a dog, i love life, and i have flaws.  i’m perfect. imperfect. Just. Like. You.