I didn’t know I’d roll up my trousers and paddle today.
In fact, I nearly didn’t.
Let me explain.
My dog, Loki, loves going into the lake when we walk together. He splashes around, runs in and out of the water, and generally has a wonderful time.
He also has a green ball that he loves.
I don’t think I realised quite how much until today.
He was splashing around with the ball in his mouth when he let it go.
It drifted.
Just far enough away that he couldn’t reach it.
And he can’t swim.
I watched it happen.
My first instinct was to think,
Oh well, sorry, mate. You’ve lost your ball.
Then he cried.
There weren’t any tears. He’s a dog.
But the sound he made...
To me, that was crying.
I looked at him.
He looked at me.
I sighed.
Took off my shoes and socks,
rolled up my trousers,
and edged my way into the water,
one careful step at a time,
until I reached his ball.
I didn’t know I would paddle today.
But I’m glad I did.
