Resounding Greif

 Today has been hard. A photo memory popped up and it was a good one. It was December 1 of last year. A Sunday. Cool, cloudy with snow on the ground here and there. We loaded up into the van and drove to Schubert Drive, We walked along the pathway for a bit and Harvey peepled off and went down a dirt trail to the beach. There was no one around. It was like we have the entire world to ourselves. 

Harvey walked to the water's edge, slowly, sniffing, exploring. I walked along behind him watching him, wondering what he was thinking about. He would stare off to the hills and then go back to sniffing. He was slow. His lungs hurt and his body ached but out here he was happy. 

He sat once in a while catching his breath and rest his legs. His sat with his hips all skewed to the side to stretch his bad knee out straight. We walked and explored for hours. Sniffing the remnants of the dead salmon, splashing in the water, sniffing logs for where other dogs had peed. It was a great adventure. 

As always, when we left we went to the pet store and got him a treat and went to Red Beard for lunch by the fire. He would lay on the cool hard floor shewing on his treat and I looked down on him wondering what our future held. Little did I know we only had five weeks left together. Five short weeks after 11 years. I always felt like I was on Miller's Planet from Interstellar where the ticking of one second represented an Earth day. I felt the days flowing faster and faster as the days grew short. The more I grabbed onto those days the more they slipped through my finger. 

December 1 of last year was one of the best days I can remember with Harvey. A day that I think about regularly and smile thinking about how happy he was. I always try to think about what days Harvey would have called his favorites. Days swimming in the river, or riding around in the van, laying on the front porch watching freinds and neighbors walking past, or watching sunsets from a high hilltop together. 

The thing that makes me happy, and gives me solace, is knowing that I would be part of whatever day was his favorite as he is of mine. He was (is) the best of me.