Running with Tessa

“Happiness is a warm puppy.” ― Charles Schultz

My husband says that she is me in a lanky dog's body.  Our new puppy Tessa has boundless energy, no fear, and an adventurous spirit. A mixed breed, she is longer than she is tall, with melting brown eyes that convince you to fork over your last piece of steak, or to rub her squishy belly.  On the flip side though, she is also a garden digger, a shoe connoisseur, and has been known to devour a paperback book in less than 10 minutes. We let our guard down, and now have three guard dogs for God's sake.  What were we thinking? 

But for as much as she is me when I'm healthy.....lately a series of health issues have left me a fluttering bird, physically weak and mentally fragile.  I pacify her with silly catch games and short walks, and she continues to tear up my meditation garden and chew the corner of my new rug.  God dammit she's a puppy and she wants more!  Finally,  one day I wake up and realize that I do too.  

Even though I am still not getting a full nights sleep due to my "periodic limb disorder" (i.e the feeling that someone is poking you with a cattle prod all night long), I realize that the ONLY way I can get going again is to actually get going again; so with my physical therapists permission to run I latch Tessa's leash to her carefully chosen rainbow-unicorn collar, and out into the forgiving fall air we go.  

Now, I've seen this dog run off leash.  She is cheetah fast with the endurance of a horse.  I am just getting back to running after bunion surgery.  I am banana slug fast and feel like a grizzly bear coming out of hibernation.  I have taught her to sit and stay, so when I open the door so she does not run out of our front door like a prison break.  We walk calmly out to the front sidewalk, and I rub her sweet head as if to say "Today is special.  Today is our first run together."  

I start to jog and she instinctively pulls excitedly.  I tug her back as we have been working on. "No sister. I'm not that fast. Yet."  She slides in beside me knowingly.....proud to be my new running coach.  When I stop for a walk break she rolls her eyes at me and takes up a trot, and my body starts to remember that I can run.  That I am a runner.  

We finish 2.5 miles at a twelve minute pace. I try not to compare that to the runs of my past and declare that a win.  And you know what?  Tessa doesn't give a shit how far or fast we ran.  She's just damn happy to finally have a running buddy.  I hug her in gratitude, for she will want to run again tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that....and I know in my heart that there is a chance that  I too will once again become that girl with the boundless energy and adventurous spirit.