Taken June 17, 2004.

If someone told me I had to choose just one of all the photos I’ve ever captured and delete all copies of the rest of them, this is the one I’d choose to save. No hesitation whatsoever.

1. 
   tost 2005 03 13 at 1:42:37 am

   Random responses, for no better reason than I’m in the mood, and such a good post deserves a comment or two.

   “He’s living fully in the present”

    

   That’s one reason among many why dogs are better than people.

    

   “I, being human, am reluctant to let go of my worries, my fatigue, the things that have brought me to the East Ridge Trail.”

    

   An easy choice to make, though rarely a productive one. 

    

   “These thoughts have teeth and they won’t let go, and their venom seeps into my blood.”

    

   As someone who frequently suffers from similar soul-gnawing intellectual gymnastics, and who’s tried a bunch of different fixes over the years, five words of half-assed advice.  Meditation, tree preaching, Monty Python.  Monty & Meditation are self-explanatory.  Tree preaching, for the uninitiated, is just what it sounds like.  Find a tree, preferably out of earshot of people you like, and tell it in no uncertain terms why life sucks. It works better than a shrink and for reasons we won’t go into here, it’s actually good for the tree.

    

   “By the time we reach the bench, with its view of Rose Peak far off to the south, the aromatic chemicals given off by the Monterey Pines have dissolved just enough of the accumulated crud in my mind to allow me to relax just a bit.”

    

   Cool. 

    

   “It is a beautiful day. Zeke asks permission to come aboard, so I say “up!” and he jumps onto the bench, nearly knocking me off in the process. I run my hands along the grain of the wooden seat, worn into scallops by years of people sitting. No doubt the occasional bench-hopping dog has contributed some wear as well. The sharp, sunwarmed ridges feel good on my palms.”

    

   Good stuff.  Well worth sharing.  Thanks.

2. 
   Anne 2005 03 14 at 12:57:21 pm

   love it chris! we need dogs to teach us how to be.