I have wanted to comment on this for a few days but was waiting until I had enough time to thoughtfully thank you for this. I have struggled for 3+ years with a dog who has a noise phobia and is very difficult to get to walk. Walking and hiking with my prior dog was my life. It has been a heartbreaking disappointment to say the least. Due to other behavioral issues, caring for this special needs dog (RX Prozac and Gabapentin and thousands of $$ in behaviorists) has been emotionally challenging to say the least. It is a constant struggle to reconcile that I have a dog I try so hard to love that I don't fully connect with. I have written 2 articles about her if you scroll down my profile (I think you would appreciate them). She has clearly been my muse and continue to write about my real, brutally honest, raw struggle. Off of the digression, I wanted to give you the background so you can fully understand how much reading this meant to me. Yesterday I walked without expectations. Rather than becoming internally frustrated I allowed my body to relax and focus on being outside and sat with her while she lie down in the grass at points. I let her sniff in the same area for a good 10 minutes. I took in the beauty around me and removed the intention of exercise from the picture. Even though I "know" this is what I should do, it wasn't until I read your story that I surrendered to it. Please know how much of an impact you had on me.