One way I keep my blood sugars in check is by dog walking \u2013 or, to put it more precisely, praying that my dog will stop researching any and all incoming data long enough to actually take a walk.<\/p>\n
Dog walking, or at least walking my mini-schnauzer, Noodle, often involves as many stops as starts, as she investigates odd and familiar smells, new insects and\u00a0 bits of flora that may have shifted across the backyards of our neighborhood since our last outdoor trek.<\/p>\n
For the past two years, our partner on many of these languorous yet intense walks has been Noodle\u2019s best friend Gizmo, a mixed breed who had the energy that Noodle lacks, and with a perky, jerky step, kept Noodle moving more or less forward for most of the time.<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s get to the sad part first: today I learned that the Giz was hit by a car and killed while walking with his mistress on a road near our house. Part of the blame was a retractable leash that didn\u2019t retract fast enough, but part was possibly Gizmo\u2019s irrepressibly crazy nature that sent him spiraling out into road and field, always ready for a good game and a 100-yard dash.<\/p>\n
Without him, our lives are going to be a little bit less energetic and less colorful. As for Noodle \u2013 who has no way of knowing where Gizmo has vanished \u2013 it\u2019s going to be a little confusing and sad as she habitually stops by Gizmo\u2019s flower bedecked driveway to call him to come out to play.<\/p>\n
Noodle and I will be outside, bright and early tomorrow for our regular walks. And though I know I\u2019m walking in part to improve my sugars, we\u2019re going to take our time tomorrow in memory of Gizmo.\u00a0 We won\u2019t rush. We\u2019ll sniff a little grass, dig a little mud and maybe run in circles across the lawn like a whirling dervish, all the while remembering that life is fleeting and summer doesn\u2019t last.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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