Maria is dressing in her belly dancing clothes, she and three other members of the group are performing around dusk in Arlington, Va. She is a bit wound up.

I went out with the dogs to check on the animals, and I saw down on a rock and waited for Lulu and Fanny to amble over, I knew they would. Donkey love is very different from dog love.

Donkeys don’t rush over with tails wagging, they come at their own pace, check things our, slide over until they are next to you.

Lulu usually presents her butt for scratching, Fanny noses me from behind for attention. It’s a slow and deliberate process, donkey’s don’t rush for people.

I rub noses with them and press my head against their soft noses and we just bask in the presence of one another. If I get up to do something else, they’re fine.

If they get interested in something else, they just walk away. Donkeys have poise and a distance that I admire, they are very loving, but they never give themselves over. It has to be their decision, in their own time.

They have inherent dignity and wisdom, they’ve been reading humans for eons.

They always make me feel flattered to be chosen for communing, yet I love it, it is calming, reflect the ancient bond between these animals and people.

When Lulu got close, she just looked me in the eye, and I tapped my knee and safe softly, “why don’t you come over here,” and she did.

Donkeys have extraordinary instincts, they can read a human mood from many hards away. If I’m in a bad mood, they won’t come near me. I was in a good mood today, and we had a beautiful time with each other.

Soon, it will be time to help tie Maria’s elaborate coin bra, which I found online. This will be the second time that I’ve seen her dance in public. She is excited, so am I.