It was a crisp, sunny late winter day, the sky was open and blue, Zinnia and I took an early afternoon walk down to the lake a few miles from our house. There were no other dogs on the path, just some walkers.

I recognized one man as recovering from Open Heart Surgery, I didn’t know him, I could just tell by the walk and by his fatigue.

I smiled and waved to him, and whispered that it would be okay. Thanks, he said, and moved on, stopping to pet Zinnia.

When we got to the lake, Zinnia burst out onto the ice, which cracked under her feet (the water is only a foot or two deep there. She stuck her head in the holes she made and then ran around in happy, Lab-like circles.

In the summer, we won’t be able to walk here, it’s a public swimming place.  We might be able to come in the early morning. But there are plenty of places to walk around here.

It’s easy walking for me, flat and shrouded with tall pine trees, it suits us well. I remembered walking after my heart surgery, I walked and walked and walked my way back to normalcy.

Open Heart Surgery is not a great big deal anymore, at least not as much of a big deal as it used to be. It is transformative though, bringing people from one part of life to another, and there is really no two-way street back.

Zinnia is a good walking companion for me, she has her agenda,  I have mine. Every mile or so, we look up, startled, and connect with each other. She trusts me, and I trust her.