He says nothing, but I know what he’s thinking. What’s with that guy? What a weirdo. If there had been a conversation, it might have gone something like this: Excuse me. Do you need help? No. Why? You’re barefoot. Okay? Do you need shoes? No. I have plenty of pairs at home. Then you’re not homeless? No. … Continue reading Walk #17: Shoeless →

It is an odd thing, a woman and a man walking, not side-by-side, but apart, together but separately. He in front, marching at a particular pace, her some 8-10 steps behind, hunched and scuttling a bit, as if she is trying to catch up, but not enough to reach him, for it appears she must … Continue reading Walk #16: Sam, the Buddhist →

The temperature had seared to 98-degrees. I didn’t want to leave the air conditioning, and neither did Sam, but we both knew we needed to get out of the house. It had become the summer’s version of cabin fever, sizzling days forcing the world to stay in doors. How many more emails could I read, … Continue reading Walk #15: Summer →

I wake to the sound of rain, tapping lightly on the window behind the bed like the tip of someone’s finger, a gentle tempo, familiar and sedative. This is a soft rain, misty and tender. It might be enough to delay a walk, yet it might be just right for one. I wonder if Sam … Continue reading Walk #14: Rain →

A couple of hours before sunset, my wife and I drive along a four-lane thoroughfare in our town and on the side of the road in a twisted heap is the body of a dead deer. It appears to be a doe, an adult, and, by the looks of it, it may have been there … Continue reading Walk #13: The Life in Death →

I shouldn’t do it. It’s illegal, I guess. But I do it anyway. My wife says I’m a risk taker. Not really. I just tend to push the envelope sometimes. But I love to see Sam run, the freedom she exudes, it’s refreshing and makes me smile. So, I do it, even when things don’t … Continue reading Walk #12: Catch Me If You Can →

It had been weeks. Our schedules had never matched. But finally, after trying to make it work many times over, on a midday Monday, my son and I are able to get together. We meet at a dog park. He brings Franco, his Golden Doodle named after Franco Harris, the football great. And I bring … Continue reading Walk #11: The Visit →