Walking and Talking

My neighbor Gloria and I try to walk in the early mornings a few times a week. It's wonderful to get out of the house, walk around a lake or two, see the herons, eagles, and other walkers and runners with their dogs.

While starting up Chemossentials I bounced a lot of ideas off of Gloria during these walks. She is a clear thinker and a very creative individual. She has also experienced breast cancer so she offers a valuable perspective.

During our walks over the last few weeks I've hogged the conversation with my issues. I have four dear friends who are experiencing cancer treatments. They are fighting lung, bladder, pancreatic and breast cancer. Gloria has been a wonderful listener and a good friend, but really it was time for me to change the topic. I decided to try to be a more upbeat walking companion. No more talking about cancer--listening more, talking less--enjoying the beautiful morning --all of these things were my goals for our next walk.

We had a good walk and a good talk that day. As we were nearing home we came up behind a woman walking a Basenji. I love that breed--they are from Africa, are said to be able to climb trees and they yodel instead of bark--what's not to love? I caught the owner's eye and expressed my admiration for her dog. Her face crumbed. She took a deep breath and told us that her dog had cancer and this was the last walk that they would share.

Wow, I did not see that one coming. What are the chances of us meeting someone with a story like that?

I've been thinking about why we met up with that woman and her wonderful Besenji. All I have come up with is that Gloria and I are both dog -lovers and we have both, in our own ways, dealt with cancer. I hope that we were able to say something to her that was helpful. I hope that she could feel how sorry we were. I hope that we helped.

I keep thinking about her and her dog ---I hope that they are both peaceful.