We take Valentine’s Day seriously around here, maybe our national holiday instead of Black Friday. No bargains, but we use to day to remember what we love and honor what we love. It’s not a sappy thing to us, but an increasingly important ritual. We have had the sweetest day. I a taking Maria out to dinner and she is trying to get me to go to a drumming class – I’m holding out but weakening. This afternoon, we took the dogs up on the hill near the farm and we stood quietly for a few minutes, feeling the wind, looking out at the nearby mountains. The dogs love it up there. They can look out at the world, catch some breezes, look down on our beautiful new home.

I work hard to train my dogs to do nothing – something few dogs get to learn – and this has allowed them to be contemplative when the occasion calls for it. That is wonderful for me, as when I am in need of calming, thinking of meditating, all three dogs get into the moment and seem to be meditating also. This is a beautiful experience to share with dogs – they love to do nothing with their people and few of them get that chance. I almost always meditate with one or more dogs, and for me, this has only deepened an increasingly important experience.

We will be visiting that hill often.