Enjoying The Walk

My dog, Macy, loves to walk. Wait, that doesn't describe it quite right...she LIVES to walk. She breathes, eats, and sleeps in anticipation of her twice daily walks. Each morning she follows me right at my heels waiting for the slightest hint that I might be reaching for my shoes...or pulling my hair into a ponytail...or better yet- grabbing her leash. These things can send her into a fit of hysteria unlike anything you've ever seen. Say the word 'walk', and Macy will spend the next three to five minutes running at top speed in clockwise circles with her little tongue hanging out the side of her mouth...which I swear forms a smile twice a day.

Ironically, Macy could care less how long her walks are. I could honestly take her half a block down the street and back and she would be happy as a clam (which I've always assumed must be quite happy, right?). If I feel like walking a couple of miles, it's no problem. My 9 lb puppy will keep up with me just fine.

Are you wondering yet why I'm writing a blog about my dog and her walks? Well, lately I've been doing some soul searching. I have very big goals for my life and my career, and it can at times seem more than a little overwhelming figuring out how to best accomplish these goals. Over the last couple of weeks, I've spent hours and hours researching ways to get where I want to go. It's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle without the picture to help me. In my head I know what I want the scene to look like when I'm finished, but the shapes of the pieces keep changing.

I'll admit it, I get a high off of the day to day workings of my business. The greater the challenges- the more inspired I feel. Some days I feel powerful, some days I feel helpless. But each day I feel something, and that is powerful in and of itself. There are days that I get to walk for miles, recording and producing for hours on end. Some days I barely make it to the end of the block, with only a short job or two to finish. On these days, it is totally up to me if I'm going to give up and head home- or keep pushing myself to take that next step and create my own walking trail.

Now, back to the dog. When my dog goes for her walk, she never stops to ask her doggy friends if they've been on their walk that day. She doesn't care. She doesn't worry if it's hot, or cold, or raining. If something blocks her path, she crosses the street and keeps moving forward. When her walk is cut short, she happily goes home to her favorite ball and a cold bowl of water. And then she waits, patiently, for the next walk to come.

Thanks to my Macy, twice a day I am reminded how wonderful it is to live for the things you love.

Kara Edwards, Voice Actor