Measuring the Years in Walks

Pretty much ever since the first day we brought Winston home almost 8 years ago, we have gone on frequent walks around the neighborhood (Ardmore). The quality and pattern of those walks have changed, but the walks themselves have remained pretty constant. I remember the first walk with Winston when he was no more than 8 weeks old -- I had him on his cute little leash and he was so eager to explore. That lasted about 2 walks. At that point, he was so tired that he couldn't walk another step and I had to carry him home.

We quickly learned after we got Wrigley a year later that walks were just simpler if the dogs were not on leashes. So we trained the dogs to stay on the sidewalks and not go in the street. With the exception of what happens when we encounter a particularly stupid squirrel or if they see their favorite neighbor (Jamie) and just can't wait the extra 5 seconds it takes for him to cross the road to see them (which they have trained him to do), they really do stick to the sidewalks. You can even throw Wrigley's most prized possession (her ball) into the street and she will not chase it. She will stay on the sidewalk and walk down the sidewalk in unison with the ball as it rolls down the street and will then sit directly across the street from where it ends up and "spots" it until you go retrieve it for her.

All very impressive. When we added Riley to the mix, we had to change a few things about our route (for example, at Miller Park, we used to park the dogs at the top of the hill overlooking the bocce courts and make them sit and wait until we released them; after Riley was born and we had his stroller, we had to stick to the sidewalks and the hill no longer came into play). When he was an infant, no matter how cranky he was or how recently he had woken up, if we put him in his stroller and started out on a walk, he'd be asleep before we reached the end of our driveway (which is not particularly long). As the months passed, he would stay awake on the walks for longer and longer periods of time - at three months, he'd still be awake when we got to Starbucks; at six months, he'd stay awake until we made it to the park; at 9 months he'd fall asleep right about when we got to within a block of our house (which usually meant the walk would get extended); at a year, he no longer fell asleep. Shortly after that, when he learned how to walk on his own, he decided he was too old to sit in the stroller at the beginning of the walks. It would take an eternity (since he had to stop every 2 seconds to look at something -- much like Winston did on that first walk when he was a puppy -- I guess youngsters have a lot to teach us -- even the simplest things that surround us every day are worth a more extensive look now and again), but it was fun nonetheless.

Now that he's two, he's more serious about his walking. But, much like the dogs, he's also very serious about the rules when it comes to streets. If Casey has to go into the street to retrieve Wrigley's ball, Riley will say, "Daddy, street" and point to the sidewalk where Daddy should be standing instead of in the street.

And then he will throw the occasional curve ball at us, like he did one time when we got to a four-way stop. He said what sounded like, "Hey buddies!". Casey and I looked at each other a bit baffled and then said, "Hey buddy" back to him like we thought we were supposed to and then told him he had to hold onto one of our hands before crossing the street. It took what was probably a few weeks of "Hey buddy" before we figured out what he was really saying. "Hand buddy!" Turns out that when they are going somewhere at school, they have to hold hands with someone else so that the teachers can keep tabs on all of the children, and this someone else is called their "hand buddy". Makes perfect sense. Sometimes I wonder if he's just rolling his eyes at us like, "Duh, what is wrong with you two?"

Hand buddies has become an obsession of his. Even when he's in his stroller or being carried, he will say, "Hand buddy!" when we get to the street and will insist on holding your hand. It is really sweet, and I especially love it when he has to have both Mommy and Daddy as his hand buddy at the same time. My only complaint really, if you can even call it that, is that it is very difficult to push a stroller, walk, hold the hand of the child sitting in the stroller, and maneuver around two dogs that think it's fun to stop directly in front of the stroller in the middle of the road.

I would not give up these walks for anything. Whether Riley is with us at night, or we are just taking the dogs for a walk during our lunch break, they are always good for the soul. It's easier to talk about things - serious or normal - while walking. We have contemplated adding another dog to our family, having children, moving to a new house, spending money on things, friendships, how to raise a child, death and many other topics on these walks. First I loved them just with my husband (who wasn't even my husband at the time), then with Winston, then as a family of four, and now as a very mobile family of five. Amazing how you can measure the passage of time just by thinking about the progression of our walks. Can't wait to see what future walks will hold.