But I thought you were scared of water...

Get this, I woke up early this morning. It's Sunday, and I usually don't see the light of day until well after 11 o'clock. But today, I decided to get up early and take the dogs out for a run. They never get enough exercise, so in the spirit of the "New Me", I thought it would be a good idea to do something good for them. As soon as I grab my shoes and their leashes, they are crazy with anticipation. They're jumping all over and racing me to the door. (I thought to myself, "wow, this is like a rare treat or something. I should be ashamed." But I wasn't ashamed, I was sleepy dammit.)

OK, so we start out on the path toward this beautiful lake down the street. (I swear I love this neighborhood. It's gorgeous.) I grab a couple of poop bags and from the dispenser on the corner and we are on our way. The sun is shining and the air is crisp. I'm starting to feel more alert and I'm even thinking that this is something I could do everyday. (Good for you, Gayle. Way to seize the day.) We creep off the path and walk onto the grassy edge of the lake. The water is alive with tiny fish and turtles and tadpoles. Oh, and there's a bunch (gaggle?) of geese swimming nearby. I'm entranced.

I feel a tug on one of the leashes and I realize that Kiba is about to poop. So I let Kaya's leash go so I can get the bag out of my pocket and pick up after Kiba. I should explain that Kaya is a rottweiler/lab mix that we adopted about 4 years ago. Despite the fact that she's part lab, she can't stand water. Won't go near it. So I thought nothing of letting her loose so near the lake.
I'm now stooping to gather a handful of dog poop, when I hear barking and splashing from my left. It's Kaya. In the damn water. Goofball ran into the water to try to get the birds. Either she suddenly realized she hated water or the lake was deeper than she thought, because before I could call her, she had already turned around and was trying to get the hell out of there. It was hilarious. (Picture the pit bull running after the guy in "No Country for Old Men".) I was cracking up.

So Kaya runs over to me like "help, I'm wet" and she immediately does that shake thing that dogs do. Now I'm wet. And dirty. Who knows what microscopic flesh-eating bacteria are living in that damn water?
So believe it or not, I'm not angry. I didn't curse or scream or anything. I laughed out loud. It was a beautiful morning, and we were surrounded by nature, and dammit, it was funny.

We ran back to the house and I forced her big behind into the tub for a bath. (Yeah, then she acted like she was being showered in kryptonite -- so the bathroom looked like a crime scene when we finally finished.)

We got cleaned up and I spent the next hour sweeping and mopping and vacuuming after our adventure but you know what? I wouldn't have traded this morning for all the sleep in the world. It was great to be up and outside playing with the dogs, and I even got a funny story to share with my friends.
My challenge to you today: Don't Sleep. Get Up, Get Out, Do Something.