Simple pleasures

Hello Everyone,

As I was biking home the other day, I saw a boy of about 8 in rubber boots stomping along in a puddle next to the bike path. The path wasn't especially busy or anything, there was lots of room there. The kid didn't have to move over - he was walking through the water because it was more fun than not doing so.

It was a classic moment of instantaneous understanding. I can clearly remember doing the same thing: wearing rubber boots, not simply in case I ran into puddles, but to seek out puddles to walk through. The boy was engrossed, ignoring the other people on the path, which was another element I identified with.

In a slightly similar vein, twice recently at the dog park, Arthur has had moments of fleeting, simple pleasures. In the spring, when the geese and ducks return, they are often found paddling around in the huge puddles that form at the park. Now, Arthur is occasionally curious about fowl, but it's not like the interest he has in squirrels. He's not a nutcase about ducks and geese.

But when they are so close, and when they are squawking at him, he'll turn and sprint towards them. Unlike squirrels, where he'll chase them up a tree and then bark at them, he doesn't chase geese after they take off. He just wants to see them bolt. It's fun.

Springtime has a lot of different pleasures, and one of the things about them is that they are so fleeting. The puddles will dry up soon, so you have to enjoy them now, whichever way appeals to you.

wes

Photos

Here's another simple pleasure Arthur enjoys: sleeping on my bed!