I have met some extraordinary beings in my life. Human and otherwise. I recently met a Greyhound. A former racing dog. For three years this dog spent her time in two places, two places only - a kennel and a racetrack. She was born to race, born to train to race.
I was told she had a pretty good win/loss record. Lucrative. But then, well, her racing days ended, and she was on the list to be terminated. A young couple adopted her. Rescued her. Brought her home, and gave her a new name, "Biscuit."
I have been spending some time with Biscuit. Imagine a wad of gum, stretched out into the form of a dog, impossibly long, impossibly thin. When she stands in the sunlight, her legs are translucent. So thin, where there isn't bone, sunshine bleeds through her skin and soft tissue. Her tail is like a whip. She is all bone and muscle. She is a moving structure of bone.
She is gentle. So gentle. Quiet. She seems "not of this world." I have stood beside her as she has discovered a new world - flowers, grass. Is it possible she has never before sniffed a flower? We ramble around with no agenda. Just experience the day. She has helped me to see the world with new eyes.
When I come to see her, she looms up in front of me, expectant. What an exotic creature. Those deep, dark eyes - bottomless. I talk to her. Show her I am so happy to see her. So happy to spend some time together. We can walk. Just walk the day.