Our entertainment at that time was visiting all the parks within walking distance. Wheeling the stroller around in the Colorado sunshine; holding my one-year old daughter as we tried out all slides and swings together; sharing the gift of life and the enthusiasm and joy of living and love.
I have always believed that the best things in life are the simple things; as Kate Wolf wrote 'the sunshine's gold is the only kind of wealth'.
Now my firstborn is growing up; she will be with us for only a couple of years. I am watching in her the difficulties and confusion of growing up and making her own mistakes. I am extremely proud of how motivated and intelligent and beautiful she is; and how she has embraced some of the essence of a simple life; of understanding what is important in life (How many sixteen year-olds are willing to drive to school in a 73 Dodge pickup and not complain about it).
As I get older and she grows up we have fewer things in common. She is very independent and it goes without saying that she will always be her own person and will be successful.
But we do share a couple of things: one is that we still enjoy throwing the football around; the other is the friendship of a good dog.
You cannot underestimate the effect of having a dog as a companion. My first dog was with me from my 16th through 28 years; I did not have another one like him until a few years ago, when I was 40. Both dogs have affected me greatly; their love and loyalty is a fantastic thing. My daughter shares in loving my good dog; I am sure that she will look back on her friendship with this good dog as one of the happiest things of her youth;
The caring and appreciating and love that a young person gives to a dog and receives from the dog are qualities that resurface later in life; when they have their own children; when they spend the day playing in parks, all smiles and sunshine and love and joy;
I have found a couple quotes that accurately describe dogs and people. The first is by John Burroughs, the naturalist who always had a dog by his side:
'The most wonderful thing about the dog is not his intelligence, but his capacity for loving. We can call it by no other name. The more you love your dog, the more your dog loves you. . . He will follow you to the ends of the earth if you love him enough. He may become so attached to you that he fairly divines your thoughts, not through his own power of thought, but through his intense sympathy and the free-masonry of love.'
John Burroughs
'The fidelity of a dog is a precious gift demanding no less binding moral responsibilities than the friendship of a human being. The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth can ever be . . . '
Konrad Lorenz