The First Smile of the Year

One of my favorite things is when Eko is happily exhausted, panting with a rolling tongue hanging off the side of his mouth. Eko is a year-round-romper, but a frigid winter limited the duration of any of our outings so I did not get to see any such smiles from Eko. But a beautiful spring weekend in Chicago thankfully brought out the first real smiles of the year. Eko and I headed out on a jog to meet some friends at the park.

No, these were not our friends, but there was no way I was not taking a photo of these two Easter bunnies. Once the shepherd realized there were no dog treats in the baskets he quickly went on his way

While my friends kicked a soccer ball around, Eko was content to hang out and watch. Once I jumped in the game though, Eko decided to sub himself in as well

Eko was a one dog team, and his favorite move was trying to run between my legs to steal the ball. After chasing me around the field Eko was absolutely whipped

And then that smile finally came out of hibernation!

Tired and content, Eko and I sprawled on out the grass and watched people fly kitesFittingly, one of the kites was a happy pup

Today I have work, bills, moving apartments and a whole list of things I have to do and deadlines I have to meet. But yesterday while Eko and I were on the grass, smiling and watching kites, I didn’t have a care in the world.

Now, refreshed, everything I need to do seems more manageable. It’s amazing what a smile can do for you!