Life Without A Promise

Eko and Penny, like all dogs, live in the moment. Though the circumstances of each moment change, those moments remain familiar. The moments are filled with love, adventure and a promise the pups will never lack for either. After a run along the beach, the pups follow me home tired and content, comforted by my promise. Doc, my brother’s senior rescue, does not know that certainty in his life. He’s lived in different places with different people and he lacks the comforting reassurance of a kept promise. Doc loves my brother, but when we let Doc off-leash all bets are off. Doc has no inclination to run away, but he certainly has the inclination to run towards everything. Not even Montrose Dog Beach is big enough to contain the eager pup, so recently we traveled to Wolf Prairie Dog Preserve to let Doc really run free.  

At the gates, Doc hesitated for a heartbeat. Then he took a deep breath

And exploded with joy!

To see Doc dash across the prairie you’d think his romp was purposeless. He randomly dove into bushes, smelled trees, rolled in long grass and zig-zagged in looping circles. But if you knew Doc’s story you’d understand that the romp was the purpose. It wasn’t the direction or the location that mattered, it was the act.

The only certainty for Doc is the present moment. And he lives in the moment in a way even more profound than my own pups.

Doc jumps exuberantly

Paddles furiously

And even when this little punk made off with his toy…

Doc couldn’t care less. He lives in serene appreciation of a moment he might never have again

I love watching Eko and Penny romp, but there is truly something special about watching Doc run free

So free that dozens of acres wasn’t enough for him! Doc somehow managed to get on the other side of the park’s fence

As they always do, Eko and Penny followed me back to the car. They enjoyed the adventure and trusted we would romp again soon. Doc, panting and muddy, trotted by my brother’s side with a big smile.

There will be plenty more romps in Doc’s future, but his posture said that if our trip to the park was his last one, he had no regrets

My brother makes the same promise of love to Doc that I make to Eko and Penny. Together they’re building a bond and Doc is learning to trust each moment will be filled with that love.

None of us is sure how many moments we have left. While Doc learns to trust there will be more, he provides a powerful reminder each passing day leaves us with fewer moments to fill and enjoy.

I’m thankful to Doc for demonstrating that the most important promise is the one we keep to the present moment.