Time alone. Thinking about Pirooz again today. It was hard for us not to drop everything and fly to Houston. I was still scanning last minute flights at 11:00 last night hoping that the prices might have magically dropped even though after a dozen previous searches I knew that was unlikely to be the case. Two last minute airline tickets combined with the cost of a hotel, cost of a rental car, cost of restaurant meals…it just wasn’t practical. Most people understand that dilemma all too well. And then it hit me. Even if I flew to Houston, Pirooz wouldn’t be there. He would not be standing at the edge of his driveway, waiting. Waiting to flag us down and remind us which house was his. Waiting to grab my suitcase from the trunk, and my overnight bag, and my purse, and a package of snacks, and whatever else he could manage to carry while leaving my own hands empty.
And so, I send our warmest thoughts to Pirooz’s family especially his children. Instead of flying to Houston, I walked, and will be walking, through my yard and into the snowy woods. I refilled the bird feeder, stopped to watch a little mole digging a new home into the compost pile (you can see the top of his head and his tiny pink nose just inside the hole) and I followed bunny tracks along a trail until they disappeared into a hole hidden in the brush. As I wander, I will be thinking of all of you in Houston and remembering our dear, sweet Pirooz whom I’m sure will be there with you, even as he is also here walking with me.
Home at the WhackyShack 