Past & Present Converge on a Birthday

Today is my birthday. I took off work for the rest of this week to have a long weekend with Charlie, but had to go in for a couple hours this morning to run some month-end reports, so I decided to bring Charlie to work with me since this was "our" time to be together.

She had a blast! Usually when she comes to work with me, it's on the weekends when no one else is there. Today she had a bunch of people who were willing (and excited!) to throw her ball as many times as she wanted. The timing was kind of funny since we watched the episode of Downward Dog on t.v. last night where she takes her dog to work and he's totally shocked that she gets to go to this fun place and leave him at home every day. I had to smile wondering if Charlie thought the same thing.

My co-worker had some fun gifts on my desk along with a chocolate donut with a birthday candle that she insisted on lighting and having me blow out to make a wish. Wish made... hopefully granted!

Birthday donut with candle.

After that, we headed to one of our favorite trails for a leisurely weekday hike. The awesome thing about having my birthday on a Thursday and also having the day off, is that no one else is out on the trails on a weekday!

I was able to have Charlie off-leash for most of the hike, which allowed me to walk at a leisurely pace to absorb the details of the forest and river surrounding me.

I listened to the water flowing over rapids, watched frogs and crawfish along the shore, marveled at how green everything has gotten and took in the aroma of the interesting combination of decaying leaves still on the trail mixed with newly budding greenery.

Tiny frog on tip of rock

The contrast of old and new was intoxicating. And since I wasn't being tugged along at warp speed by Charlie, it gave me time to sit on a rock and contemplate the past and the future on a day that marks my birth. Thinking about the past and all that I have been through while also looking ahead to the future and all that lies before me.

It was a good day.

Charlie scouring the shoreline for sticks.

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