I try to go on walks every day as I am usually in front of my computer all day for the entire week. I used to run but my shin would always hurt for some reason (umm, fats?). My husband would come with me at times and take our 2 dogs with us (as I cannot be trusted with walking both of them on my own) but most of the time, it’s just me and my music.
I came out earlier than usual today and expected the neighborhood streets to be deserted. Just a few houses down, I saw the familiar three-legged dog, but with a shih tzu partner this time. As I walked past them, the shih tzu suddenly lunged and barked at me, with the sidekick cheering him on. He kept bumping into me. Had this happened years ago pre-Dog Whisperer, I would have panicked and ran. I had never been attacked by a dog before so that would have been my natural reaction, except this time I stood my ground and yelled “Tch!” as they kept yapping at me. They moved back and I was able to walk on although the barking didn’t stop until I was already a few meters away. Thank you, Cesar Millan! Although, I still couldn’t understand the reason for the attack. They weren’t showing signs of high aggression though – no growling nor showing of the fangs. I still picked up a stick for if they become more aggressive on my next round (crazy shih tzu wasn’t there anymore and sidekick didn’t even look my way).
I saw fireflies in the daytime for the first time as they hovered above my head for a few seconds. That was a highlight. I could really see their bums glowing! It was awesome.
The highlight of my walk was the convo I had with my 81-year-old neighbor. We met while he was just coming in the village gate and I was cooling down. We had seen him cleaning his vintage car but never got to talk to him. He was the one who struck up a conversation after our usual exchange of greetings. What a lovely man. He reminded me of my Lolo Eusebio – small in stature but well-spoken. He said that he is one of the first homeowners in the village, and have lived here since 1984. The “newcomers” with the big houses seem very elusive. He shared that his wife died just this past March, and that it has been very difficult to carry on. Luckily, his kids live in a house just behind his, although he lives alone.
He talked about how he keeps busy, like sending handwritten letters to anyone in the world who would care to read, and that some would even reply. It was the last thing he said to me that really made the conversation memorable. He said, “If there is any advice that I can give to young people today, it is to love their partners/wives/husbands with all their heart. Because you never really know what you have until they are gone”. They were happily married for 55 years.