EMILY HURD: BLOG

Yesterday, I went to take my dog Hank for a walk.  On the way to the park, Hank saw an old piece of pizza in the middle of a busy street (mmm...road pizza....how delectable).  Hank's a big dog, weighing in at 60+ lbs, so him lunging into the street means that I too am lunging into the street.  Cars came to a screeching halt, and we some how both managed to survive, plus Hank got his road pizza.  In his mind, I'm sure it was totally worth it.

On the way back from the park, I let Hank off leash.  He's got incredible separation anxiety, so I really didn't have much fear that he would stay close; he always has.  To my dismay, about halfway through the park, Hank started bolting towards the road, back to the spot where he found the pizza.  I panicked and started running after him at full speed, which is sadly about half of Hank's speed.  I reached him in the middle of the road. Once again, cars came to a screeching halt.  Thank God for tolerant afternoon drivers.  I collected Hank and walked back to the apartment, relieved.

It was when I was finished making dinner that I realized I didn't have my cell phone anymore.  I looked all over the apartment, only to come to a very sad realization: I lost the dumb phone while I was running for Hank out in the park more than an hour ago.  There are so many reasons this was bad.  First, it was nearly dark, so finding it on the ground was out of the question.  Second, it was gorgeous yesterday, and the park was packed with people.  Likely, someone already pocketed it.

Regardless, I ran back to the park.  I bumped into a few friends, and one of them offered to call my phone to see if we could hear it.  No dice.  We started combing the park.  After a few minutes, a homeless many who usually hangs out under one of the pine trees came over to me.  He said, "Are you looking for your phone?"  I said, "Yes."  He said, "Here it is."  He handed it to me, and went back to the tree.

You can't judge a book by its cover.  A person's economic state or appearance has nothing to do with their ability to be honest or kind.  It's a good lesson to remember.  Nothing is as it seems.  Best to let your brain un-wire itself of its preconceived notions every time you get the chance.

Today I'm eating leftover pad thai that I made last night, and I'm pairing it with The Greencards album "Fascination."  They play "folk" music, but they frequently use different modes, and I've rarely heard music that's such a mix of sweet and sour, smooth and tang, rigid and loose.  Buy this album.