This is my favorite time of day.

My husband and I both work at home. Sometime after the school drop, the workout–all those morning routines–we take Ms. Bay, our 10 year old English Lab, for a walk. It’s her highlight and smiles bust out when the leash does.

We cover all sorts of topics on these walks. Important ones. Like what type of bird is making that noise? Or was that squirrel hole there yesterday? Or how are the world markets reacting to the election? Or what should I say on the radio show? We see neighbors (humans and canines) alike who come out to greet us, to connect, some offering up veggies from their gardens and some with funny stories.

It’s more of a stroll, really. A sniff and go. A stop-and-smell the…well, you know…kind of thing. Just time to enjoy each other and the outside as a pack.

But when we get to the “running grass” things speed up. Ms. Bay gets a burst and darts down as fast as she can. (An early adapted strategy to keep her from peeing on our neighbor’s lush lawn!) Because we do this very consistently, she’s dropped 5 pounds. For labs and humans alike, the pressure relieved on  joints is significant. Just a little walk and a short jaunt may be just what you need to keep your joints supporting you. The other pressures relieved by taking a few minutes to move are mind boggling.

Funny last thought: to take this picture, I had to run up ahead on the running grass first so I was up ahead about 200 feet.  Our neighbor yells across the field, “Hey, you guys fighting?”

Take time. Find your running grass.