Tonight's picture was taken in July of 2005. Mattie was three years old and this was his third trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. By this point, Mattie loved being by the ocean and playing in the sand. I snapped this photo as it was close to July 4th and I loved Mattie's pop of color and the American flag in the background.
Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins.
- number of people diagnosed with the virus: 3,858,686
- number of people who died from the virus: 141,426
We walked Sunny early on Roosevelt Island today. It felt like it was 1,000 degrees outside, and our boy had to take frequent breaks for water and rest. Sunny is dealing with a stamina issue not just from recovering from his knee surgery in April but trying to walk in intense heat. The spirit is willing but the body isn't. While on the Island, there was a group of about 10 elementary school aged children with their parents. Clearly these parents were trying to come up with activities to keep their children busy and active during this prolonged lock down.
The kids wanted to meet Sunny. Sunny is the perfect gentle giant and no matter how many people surround him or touch him, he is always calm and friendly. The age group of the children happens to be my favorite. I am not sure if it is because elementary children remind me of Mattie or just the simple notion that children at that age are just that...... children. They tend not to have an agenda, are eager to learn, are full of energy, and enjoy taking in the world around them and sharing their thoughts about it. Today's children were adorable and each one shared with me their experiences with having a pet. One little boy told me about his fish that died, with the hopes of getting a new fish soon. The whole encounter was adorable and for just that moment in time, it seemed like a NORMAL world. A world where people interact and talk with one another, without running the other way.
I would say that Sunny has opened up our world for us. He requires walking every day, so regardless of the weather, we are out in it. That even applies to a Pandemic. In many ways, Sunny has keep us to a routine, which is good, because when you really assess everything around us, it is quite evident that the world we were living in prior to COVID-19, is no longer. In fact, things are unsettling all around us. In DC, businesses are still boarded up, rioting is still happening, and the level of homelessness around us has gotten out of control. We are instead surrounded by people in tents. In fact, I will begin photographing this, because my words don't do it justice. A vibrant area which once housed business and government employees, as well as college students, is now a ghost town. Truly this pandemic is enough to make one edgy, stressed out, and with an inability to focus and look toward the future. Please tell me that one day we won't all be wearing masks? It just isn't normal not to have the freedoms we once enjoyed. Which is why I am thankful to Sunny, he is the one constant in our lives, a constant that also provides love and companionship!
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