Sometimes You Fall Down

by emily

Yesterday, Daisy and I went for a run.  It was gorgeous out, about 60 degrees and bright and sunny with a slight breeze.  We went up the street, over some rolling hills (my neighborhood is all rolling hills, which makes it sound charming like Downton Abbey, but is, in fact, terrible), and down to the bike path toward Davis Square.  The bike path is really beautiful and idyllic.  There are lots of trees and children and dogs and other things to make Daisy nervous.  But the funny thing about Daisy is that if we’re running, she never really gets too nervous.  I guess she figures she can get away quickly if she’s already on the move, were something to startle her.  So anyway, we’re on this jog through the idyllic tree-lined bike path, and we come upon a miniature schnauzer who is hugging the fence interestingly, and his apologetic owner.  And near them is a man with a really cute puppy, who is smelling the schnauzer, who is none too pleased.  Daisy, apparently, decided this was something to be navigated, and cut across, right in front of my feet.  That’s a fun move Daisy does sometimes, where she tries to keep me on my toes by basically running underneath me and trying to murder us both.

So she cuts me off and I try not to step on her and I go flying.  I end up sprawled face down on the pavement in front of all these strangers.  At first, I’m so embarrassed that I just lay there for a second, then I realize Daisy’s leash is not in my hand, so I sit up to grab it, and I can’t reach it, and the guy with the puppy grabs it for me.  Ugh.  And then I get up because somebody has to be a grown up here.  And I check out my injuries, which are minor, and I check in with Daisy and ask her why she tried to kill me, and she does not respond, and we keep running.  Because what else are you going to do?  There was nobody to take care of me so I just picked myself up and took off again.  I’ve got a few bruises and scrapes but I wasn’t actively bleeding so that was that.  On the second half of the run I had a bit of an internal pity party, but when you get right down to it, this whole thing is what being a grown up is all about.  What are you going to do?  Get mad at Daisy?  Her brain is basically a marble rolling around in an empty cup, it’s not her fault.  She’s an idiot.

Sometimes you just have to get back up and keep running.