I will say my life has a certain rhythm, or perhaps it is a “schedule” that makes it feel as if I have one, by which I live and determines what I do and when. It is so important that I squeeze everything I must do into the schedule for the day and the calendar for the week or month, either one. And who is the guardian or keeper of this circadian rhythm, one may ask??? It is certainly not me. I can procrastinate and make excuses for putting things off. It is Miss Jelly herself. All she has to do is throw me a sideward glance and that says it all: the command is delivered!
There you have it! The look is the command.
Many fun things ensue because of it. First, there are long walks in fields off leash. Jelly enjoys them immensely. She is obedient and comes on recall. She does not bother other people or their dogs, causing me distress or discord. Whatever we do it is fun. However, after 4:00 PM, she knows that is the hour when I am to stop all activity of mine and take her into Watchung Reservation to the Scouting Field and its environs to enjoy the daily outdoors she needs so much. The expansive fields one finds there, surrounded by towering pines and overgrown trees are bordered by dense shrubbery. Within it, there is an assortment of wild flora that will begin blooming soon until the first frost in November that will keep even me continually enthralled while Jelly “hunts” for squirrels and rabbits, the small game that environment contains. With Jelly, as with most dawns of spring, it is as if I am experiencing this for the first time. I’ve been showing her around for several weeks now, and her joy is palpable.
It is because of the joy she gives me and the reasons she gives me to experience beauty on a daily basis that I love her so much. One should have a reason to be so happy every day of one’s life.