We walk tonight, my service dog and I, in the dim yellow harvest glow of the campus lights, under a nearly-full moon.The air is crisp. There is a hint of winter on the way, layered with the spicy, singular aroma of fallen leaves -- that crisp and earthy tone that hails the autumn.
Chester is exuberant, bouncing after a long day. I am sleepy,
languorous, at peace. I sit on a bench under a grandfather tree -- one so tall and old that its presence can be felt, ancient as the earth, timeless.
I take off his vest, and Chester is instantly all dog -- nose to the ground, racing circles around me while I sit and smell the scents of autumn under the tranquil moon. Leaves crackle under his feet, and his buoyant playing kicks them into the air, where they flutter for a moment before alighting gently back on earth.
Everything is golden -- bathed in low ambient light, the brown leaves underfoot acquiring an almost unearthly glow, heaven on earth and God in all. A gentle breeze blows with a hint of bite, warning of winter to come, but saying now to be content as there still is time to play.
Chester has worn himself out and comes to lay at my feet. I watch him quietly, thinking only how beautiful he is. What a gloriously beautiful and noble creature -- the golden light caresses his fur, catching highs and lows, lights and darks, shimmering with the gentle motion of his breathing. I watch his ears prick and swivel as he listens to the night sounds. He
is alert but not tense. He looks up at me -- his brown eyes warm, relaxed, and I smile at him. Such a beautiful creature. My dog. My heart.
He stares at me. His eyes speak volumes. And then he stands and licks my hands and face as I bend down and wrap my arms around him. I could not dare but love him -- the earnest ways in which he tries to please me, to help me -- his never-failing trust of me, the all-consuming goodness of him.
Animals must have souls. Anyone who has experienced their pure conditionless love could do little but come to that conclusion. My heart hurts with the love I have for him, and brings tears to my eyes. I love him so much. And all I give to him is mirrored right back for me. For he has given me my life back, walked me through hardship after hardship, and kept me from giving up, as I am no longer alone in battling my disability.
After a long moment, I rise and we get ready to leave. He picks up his vest on the bench next to me and places it into my hands. I open it up and he slips his head into the strap and stands quietly while I buckle it around his belly. Then he hands me the leash, his tail wagging, ready for a new adventure.
Oh, to be so happy with life! To await with eagerness even the mundane. I wonder if he knows that it's time to go inside and get ready for tomorrow, and then bed?
Even though the fun is over for the night, he doesn't complain, there is no disappointment. Just a zest for life and eagerness to move on. He lives in the moment. I gather the leash and we walk together back home -- life intruding again on something that seemed, however brief, truly otherworldly.
