Today I walked from my doctor's office to the west side of Central Park. It's two blocks to the Dakota, the building where Yoko Ono lives and John Lennon died. Across the street is the park where I go to sit.
The grass and the trees relax me. The fact that I feel calmer there reminds me that I'm an animal. Today I met Lynn and her two dogs.
Kodiak and Misty
Kodiak is nervous around people - I didn't get to pat him at all. Misty LOVED getting attention. And the odd thing is, Misty is blind . . . you'd think she'd be the more cautious one. But as soon as I started petting her, she was rolling around and stretching under my hand.
Since Holly had to move home, I really miss dogs. It's therapeutic to scratch a dog - it's such a symbiotic relationship we have.
Lynn grew up in the Philippines. I don't like to feel like I'm pitching the site, but I often learn something about the people I talk to and let them know that their experiences are unique and interesting. We talked about how different it is to grow up in the Phillipines - she and her friends played in the forest, climbed coconut trees and swam in the river. We talked about how kids in the U.S. seem to grow up much faster, or maybe less innocently.
One thing I love about New York is something I used to doubt was true. That people here are nice. All it takes is a trip to the park to find that out. I love meeting strangers and having a nice talk on the grass for a half-hour. Last week I met someone else with a tiny Pomeranian named Trixie.
And this was my favorite part of the trip:
Then, on the way home, I met Reena . .