Day 150: King of the Hill

I suppose I’m one of Karen’s many friends who has told her that if she wants to really lose some weight and keep it off she’s going to have to do some exercise. Not so shockingly, this kind of talk annoys Karen. Oh, but I wasn’t saying she should – dog forbid – sweat. No, all I suggested is that she should walk her canines. And from what I understand she’s actually been doing a lot more of that lately, which is incredibly encouraging. Karen’s got a couple of great hounds and when they’re running free, those dogs light up.

She mentioned in an earlier post how I guilt tripped her into walking by lamenting how jealous I am of her for having two healthy dogs who can still run circles around her. Oh, if only my beloved dog Hawk could still go on long walks ... While I’m certainly not above using guilt as a motivator, it was also the truth. You see, Hawk is twelve and weighs in at 115 pounds and while he’s still vibrant and very much full of life, he doesn’t get around quite like he used to.

It’s not so much a case of regret. I’ve known for many years to enjoy every moment I spend in the park with him. I knew there was an expiration date, I just didn’t know when. I suppose wishing we could still walk like we used to is more a case of gluttony, because those insanely beautiful days where he’d blaze trails up and down the hills of Los Angeles’ Griffith Park made me happier than any drug ever could. I wish we could go on the long hike through those hills one more time, but those days are pretty much over, the expiration date has arrived. Sure, we still go to the park sometimes, but never for too long, never too far.

The thing is, I don’t like walking without Hawk. It just makes me think about him sitting back home wondering why he got left behind. I see the other dogs at play and wish he were there in the mix. And when I return, he knows I cheated on him. He smells the park all over me and I’m busted. Sometimes I feel like my life is measured by the ways in which I can avoid disappointing that dog. But in then end, the truth is - the pleasure I get from walking is the pleasure I get from seeing Hawk be all the dog he can be.

We are blessed in Los Angeles with an incredible park system - lots of hills, trails and room to roam. And like much of this paradoxical town, while Griffith Park is an excellent place to be alone, there’s also quite a community to be found up in those hills. One of the more interesting people I’ve met is Sol. He’s 90 years old and walks in the park everyday even though he’s pretty much blind. The LA Weekly recently wrote a very flattering profile of him in their “people of LA” issue, crowning him “King of the Hill.” Click here and check it out. www.laweekly.com/la-people-2006/king-of-the-hill/13183/

I suspect we could all learn a lot from Sol. Sure, he’s a bit of a philosopher, but it’s his actions that resonate with me - his commitment to a daily ritual that enriches his life. (Dog knows, it’s easy to follow rituals that don’t enrich our lives.) Maybe someday I’ll find the same sort of solace (no pun intended) that Sol finds up in the park without the company of my faithful hound. But, more likely, it’ll be with another dog, not the one who’s splayed across my feet right now as I type these words. But no matter what, in my eyes, the real king of those hills will always be Hawk for he taught me one lesson over and over each time we walked those hills. A lesson that we all know, yet so easily forget. Enjoy the moment while it lasts ... and don't step on any rattlesnakes while you're at it.

- posted by George