Not Going to the Dogs

One of my favorite things about fall is being able to go outdoors again. If not for the life-saving properties of air conditioning, I wouldn’t be writing this to you right now. The triple-digit summer heat of the Arizona desert makes life survivable only by staying indoors.  Now, October has arrived. The weather feels cool, like 95 degrees or so. That means, I can finally go on a walk without being incinerated. Anyone who has ever attempted to go on a walk in the 116-degree summer heat has never returned to tell about it.

Walking benefits our health by relieving stress, improving our mood, lowering blood sugar, and reducing the risk of heart disease. Scientists have discovered that walking at a brisk pace can add years to your life. Provided you don’t walk on a path near the edge of a cliff or on one where rattlesnakes like to hide out.

If you don’t have a treadmill, then an imaginary walk is the only option throughout the summer. Although imagining will decrease your risk of rattlesnakes, it won’t add years to your life since the cardio aspect isn’t a factor. Unless you jog in place. In an imaginary walk, you can dream up purple foxglove and hot pink dahlias and ruby red roses blooming along the way. A friendly stranger offers you tea in a fine bone china teacup as you stroll the garden path. How often does that happen in a real-life walk?

Now that it’s fall, I enjoy the real-life walking experience. No one has yet stopped me and offered me a cup of tea. Actually, there’s very little social interaction for me. Many of the walkers, me included, are intent on their cardio exercise.  As people power walk by, some smile and silently mouth “Hi” around their earbuds. Some hardly glance over but offer a quick wave as they sprint walk. Others avoid eye contact all together and hurry by as if announcing, “Can’t talk—serious walk underway.” Holidays are the exception. Unexpectedly, without warning, a walker passing by calls out, “Happy New Year!” or “Merry Christmas!” Such greetings are rare, but on a holiday walk, be ready for one.

The most interesting part of walking is encountering someone with a dog on a leash. The owner may want to smile and keep moving, but the dog wants to stop, greet you, and wag its tail as if asking how you are. Owners often say with a sigh, “He’s friendly,” as though friendliness were a flaw everyone must tolerate. Once, a man walking ahead of me kept going while his dog repeatedly stopped and looked back at me. Finally, the man halted, turned around, and said with resignation, “He won’t let me continue until he says hello to you.” So, I happily petted the dog and exchanged a friendly greeting while the owner waited.

In whatever way you enjoy October, step outside and get moving. It’s good for you. And, when strangers with a dog on a leash cross your path, stop, and with the owner’s permission, pet the dogs—because dogs, as well as cats, make our world a better, happier place.

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