As she prepared for her Senior Center yoga class, Laura considered how she would describe her cross-country return from New Mexico to Virginia to her interested class members. Her memories returned to that time in her young life, as she clearly visualized those surroundings and circumstances . . ..

Cal and Judy were busy in the fenced-in area behind their house playing with a passel of young Belgian Malinois pups, plus one mature dog who seemed to be supervising the rowdy behavior. Stark mountains, cacti, scrub brush, and desert were visible in the New Mexico vista beyond the dog corral and kennel.

Laura and her lovely three-year-old daughter, Julia, rounded the walkway of the cottage and outbuildings, and Laura shouted a greeting to the couple. Julia immediately called for “Doggies” as she witnessed the rough and tumble play of the handsome animals. Cal was allowing them to play and let loose of some of their collective energy before attempting his obedience-training regimen. A man of varied accomplishments, he was a tai chi teacher, a writer, and a breeder and obedience trainer of his beautiful dogs before selling them to police and military outfits for guard, and search and rescue training. His wife, Judy, assisted with the obedience training and caring for the puppies in addition to using her social work training to work part-time in the rural community.

The couple smiled and waved as they saw their favorite neighbors approaching. “Give us a minute to give this crowd water and a treat.  We’ll be right there!” Cal called. Judy filled several bowls with water from the outdoor spigot as the pups crowded around her.

Smiling, the couple let the dogs move to their kennel to settle in and cool down, while Maggie, the doggy mother of the litter, approached the house to greet Laura and Julia.

Laura was on a mission. She was saying “goodbye” to her closest friends. 

Laura had lived in New Mexico since she was 19 years old, after leaving her home and college in Virginia to explore specialized training in complementary holistic health practices and to pursue painting and photographic studies in the dramatic desert environment. She had met Sam, her husband and Julia’s father, shortly after arriving in New Mexico and had been comforted and supported by Cal and Judy when Sam was killed in a motorcycle accident just after Julia was born. Now, Laura was moving back to Virginia in the wake of her father’s recent heart attack. She would miss New Mexico, the environment, her community of friends, and the place where she had been deeply in love with Sam. She knew that the energy of the Universe was calling her to shift focus and direction, to share her daughter with her parents, and to share her energy and knowledge with a different population. Still, saying farewell to her dear friends and mentors was bittersweet. 

Cal had been Laura’s tai chi teacher for several years, introducing her to the soothing practice that built internal strength, focus, flexibility, and confidence. They had established a barter system, Laura paying for her training with therapeutic massage and yoga for both Judy and Cal.

The couple knew of Laura’s plan to drive across country in her renovated VW van to her hometown of Norenville, Virginia. Cal had helped her find a great mechanic to renovate her vintage van. In such a close community, the mechanic then referred her to a vehicle painter who transposed her paintings of a desert sunrise and a Virginia mountain sunset to either side of her van.  It truly was a work of love, devotion, and talent from all participants.

Laura and Julia sat on the shaded, covered porch while Judy brought out a cold pitcher of lemonade and some sugar cookies for Julia. Cal finally arrived, sweating a bit and joining “the girls” on the porch with Maggie, his sleek, calm dog matriarch, and Doolittle, a lean yearling pup who was his star obedience pupil. Doolittle immediately went to Julia, who was sitting on the floor eating a cookie, and calling “Come, Doo-doo.” She had been around the pups enough to know to avoid crowding them or heading directly for them, allowing them to get to know her naturally and gradually. Doolittle lay down next to the little one, nuzzling her hand and having a lick of her “cookie hand.” Julia giggled, and Doolittle appeared to smile.

With a deep determined breath, Laura said, “We’re going to be leaving in several days, and I wanted to stop by and see you both at your comfortable home and to thank you for being wonderful, supportive friends for such a long time.  Julia and I will miss you, but I hope you’ll be able to come see us after you place your pups and we get settled in Virginia.”

Judy rose and approached Laura and Julia to give them both hugs. “We’re really going to miss you! Every time we go into the living room, we’ll remember you, as well as Sam, when we see your gorgeous paintings and your photos of the dogs and Julia. Please keep in touch and tell us how you’re doing. We love you, you know.”

“I do know, and we love you right back!”

Cal had gone into the house for a minute and returned with a large box. As he looked at Julia petting the snoozing Doolittle, he said, “Speaking of love, we’re concerned about your driving across country alone with a small child. I hope you will accept this offer. Doolittle is obedience trained. She’s not yet a guard dog, and she’s still young, but most people would view her as a full-grown dog and a possible threat.  I would like you and Julia to have her, especially because she will watch over you on the road. I have all the supplies here you’ll need for her for the trip. What do you say?”

Laura was overwhelmed. The Belgian Malinoises were outstanding dogs, and a lot of time had gone into training each one of them, making them valuable assets to Cal and Judy. “I don’t know what to say, Cal. Doo is far too expensive a gift to give us.”

Judy chimed in, “You and Julia are invaluable to us! You are a part of our family, and we want to give you love and possible protection on your way to a new chapter in your lives.  Doolittle has been a very responsive pup for us. We think she will make you a great pet, and we would love for you to have her.” 

Laura breathed deeply and shrugged her shoulders, “If you’re sure . . . we’ll take good care of her and give her lots of love.”

Cal jumped up again. “That’s great. While you finish your drink and chat with Judy, I’ll give Doolittle a nice bath and blow dry, and then you can begin to get used to one another! I would like for you to come out a few times for just brief periods to review Doolittle’s commands. She’s the calmest of our litter and will be a good one for you. If you find that she doesn’t fit after you get back to Virginia, I have a trainer there who buys many of my dogs for search and rescue training and he wouldn’t hesitate to take her, but I hope she’ll find a home with you. I want you to remember how dear you are to both of us.” Cal’s eyes squinted, his head bent down, and he abruptly turned, gesturing for Doolittle to follow. 

Laura would never forget that day and the love she shared with her great friends, Cal and Judy. What a terrific blessing they were to her.

*

Coming back to present, Laura entered the Bellaire Senior Center for her weekly yoga class and “story time” as her students referred to the after-class coffee hour. She anticipated this would be the last time she would “star” as the personal storyteller.  She was about to divulge the final story of her cross-country trip from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to nearby Norenville, with her young daughter and their furry companion. She believed her class attendees were in for a surprise.

Kelly, the center’s young, enthusiastic receptionist, greeted Laura as she entered the main hallway of the center. Kelly smiled as she rose from her desk and approached Laura, saying, “Good morning. I understand during story time you’ll be telling the folks about your cross-country return to Virginia.  I’m going to listen in at the kitchen door and hope we don’t get any phone calls during that time. You always tell quite a story! What an interesting life you led as a young woman.”

Laura was always surprised at Kelly’s curiosity about her life, but she remembered when she was a young woman, feeling as if all of life seemed to be occurring outside of the small Virginia town where she and her family resided. She had come to realize that wonderful and memorable experiences happened anywhere if one were paying attention. “Kelly, I hope the story doesn’t disappoint, but this is probably the most exciting one.”

Laura swept into the exercise area, her purple yoga top and pale gray yoga tights accenting her lithe figure. As usual, her color choices beautifully highlighted the silver-gray tones of her long, braided hair. Her eyes sparkled as she observed her friendly and eager students, smiling, chatting, and setting up chairs and yoga blocks in an open circle. As she entered, she heard Shirley ask,” I wonder what Laura will tell us about herself today?”  Lorraine answered, “I don’t know, but I’m always surprised at her open and interesting way of looking at life.” 

For class, Laura wanted to do a full body seated yoga workout, with focus on chest openers and arm strengtheners. She particularly tried to inspire her students to warm up their bodies after waking up to avoid pulled muscles and to take deep belly breaths to start their day from a relaxed and open point of view.  As she led them in a porpoise pose of increasingly open arm movements with deep breathing, she heard Iona call out, “Laura, do we raise our arms straight up or open them out?”  

“I’m glad you asked.  For this movement, on our inhale, we want to eventually raise our head and open our arms out to the side, opening our chest, rolling our shoulders down and back while we extend our spine. Feel your body wake up on this final stretch of the movement, and smile.” Her direction was met with a group sigh of release. 

Laura completed the class with final relaxation and a brief meditation. She was pleased that her students seemed to be enjoying their classes and participating fully. 

After the meditation, the room was hushed until Laura rose to put away her yoga block. With that, other members moved their chairs and began to chatter about coffee and who brought a sweet treat for the morning. They all moved to the kitchenette to gather for pecan rolls and Laura’s “story time.”

Group members enthusiastically invited Laura to tell them about her drive from New Mexico to Virginia. As she smiled and sipped her coffee, Laura began to hit the highlights of those precious memories of her farewell to her friends and the start of her cross-country journey with Julia and Dolittle. 

 “Were you afraid of such a large, and dangerous dog? Iona asked.

“Doolittle probably looked tough and scary to people who weren’t familiar with her, but Mals are smart, and she was well-trained. Carl insisted we practice commands and include lots of play and exercise in her schedule. She was devoted to Julia, and Julia also was trained in appropriate ways of being with Doolittle--‘Doo-doo’ as she called her. Mals are herd dogs, and Doolittle was trained not to nip at Julia as she guided her, but Doolittle kept a close eye on her.”

Eugene asked, “What was the route you traveled? That was quite a while ago.”

“I took a southern route, staying mainly on Interstate 40, then onto I-81 in Tennessee, and finally onto I-64 in Virginia. I basically only got off to find campsites or a convenience store when I needed one.”

“That must have been a grueling trip doing all the driving and caring for two sweeties,” Peggy said.

“Ideally, I had a planned routine to have an early morning breakfast, play and exercise time for Julia and Doolittle, drive for a couple of hours, stop for a potty break, have lunch, stretch and play, then another few hours of driving, then stop again for supper, and play and exercise and training.  If we weren’t quite at our planned camp spot, I drove for another hour or so before settling in. With regular breaks and activity, the schedule worked smoothly most days. We had a whiney day for Julia, and a restless day for Doolittle that caused us to stop a bit more.”

“How many days did it take you?” Bill asked.

“It took us six, no seven days. We had a day when we were stuck in place for several hours.”

“Van trouble, poor weather?” 

Laura looked at Bill, shook her head, and then scanned the group. “Let me tell you that exciting and frightening part of my story.”

There was an audible forward movement of chairs as the group gathered even closer.

“We had stopped at a nice park and campsite in Tennessee. It was dawn and Julia and Doolittle were still snoozing. Doolittle rode closed in his kennel, but at night he was out in the back of the van with us. 

“I quietly left the van to do an early morning yoga practice to release the stress and stiffness of driving. The campsite was quiet and cool in the morning.  I enjoyed the novelty of being surrounded by bright green grass and leaves, seeing rolling hills, and hearing a small nearby stream. The quiet minutes seemed precious before the intensity of exercising Doolittle and playing with and feeding Julia.

“I was just on my mat outside the passenger side door of the van.  Suddenly I heard a loud shout, Doolittle’s snarl, bark, and moving around, and Julia’s outcry! I jumped in the passenger’s door to find Julia whining and rubbing her eyes, and Doolittle barking and standing in protective mode in front of Julia. The driver’s door was wide open. I scrambled across to the driver’s seat to see if I could detect who was there and saw no one. By then Julia was in my lap and we were cuddling. Doolittle still was in protective mode, alert and guarding. I was confused for a moment until I looked for my backpack, and it wasn’t there. It contained my money, driver’s license, other papers I didn’t want to lose, as well as travel directions, some small items of clothing, and jewelry. I looked throughout the van and couldn’t find it. 

“By then, a camper couple from a nearby site walked by and asked if everything was alright. They rushed away to notify the park ranger.”

“Weren’t you afraid the robber might come back?” Lorraine asked.

“To tell you the truth, I was so distressed for Julia and Doolittle that I hadn’t protected them I felt too guilty to feel afraid.  I was busy getting them ready for the day, grooming, feeding, attending to them, meanwhile taking stock of the contents of the van to see if anything else was taken or disturbed. I couldn’t believe a thief got into the van with my little ones and I didn’t know it, even though I was right outside.

“A young, serious-looking park ranger arrived within a few minutes, and another one drove in just after him. They began looking around the van as they approached and one continued to do so as the other began to question me about identifying the burglar, describing the backpack and its contents, and explaining the circumstances and their impact on Julia and Doolittle. Julia was clingy, seeming to pick up on my distress, and Doolittle remained quiet and on alert. I’m sure it was obvious I felt guilty about not being more aware, but the ranger was very reassuring regarding the obvious ‘grab and snatch’ opportunism of the burglar. He indicated this was a technique he had seen before in recreation areas.

“Just as the first ranger, Ranger Pifer, was on the radio to local patrolmen, the second ranger appeared at the van with a wallet. ‘Do you know this person?’ he asked, as he held out a wallet with a driver’s license exposed. ‘I found it a few yards from your van along the trail to the shower room.’

“I didn’t recognize the name or the photo.

‘Do you recognize the teeth marks on the wallet?’ he said and grinned as he glanced at Doolittle. ‘I think your dog there might have found us a burglar.’

“The rangers radioed the information on the license to the local police station and to other park staff. Ranger Pifer asked if I would stay in the area for a few hours at least in hopes that they would find the burglar either in the park or the wider vicinity. I agreed to move closer to the ranger station so Julia and I could exercise and train Doolittle and play on the little playground there. I felt safer closer to the staff. To tell the truth, I wasn’t sure how I was going to drive away with no license or money.”

Laura’s class members were shaking their heads and looking grim as she mentioned the seriousness of her predicament. 

“We were at the park site for about an hour when I received word that Daryl Brewster, a thirty-year-old vagrant was found with my backpack. He had not had time or opportunity to go through it thoroughly or to spend more than a few dollars at a convenience store. Brewster did have a sizeable rip in his blue jeans where Doolittle’s teeth grabbed his pocket. The police officers and rangers were entertained with the story of my canine protector, joking about the incredible bad luck of the burglar in that misadventure. We were detained another hour or two, filing a report and finalizing paperwork. 

“I remained shaken, considering that Julia might have been victimized.  Ranger Pifer took care to provide explicit directions to the next park campsites along our route. I found when I arrived at the next site that the ranger was aware of our story, took delight in reviewing its highlights and to meet our little family. He made sure we were in a campsite near the ranger station. 

“How did your routine change as a result of the theft?” Lorraine asked.

Before Laura could answer, Shirley, clenching her fist and with worry lines across her forehead, said, “I can’t believe on top of everything else, you were going through, you were robbed!”

 “Well, after I calmed down, I called and thanked my great friends Judy and Cal for training and insisting I bring Doolittle with me. Doo was a champion and Julia loved and was comforted by her. I learned two important lessons that I hope I never forget: one, always be alert and observant, and two, never take safety and goodwill for granted—they are truly a blessing. I was lucky to receive the lessons as I did and was blessed with the help and caring strangers gave me. 

“To answer your question, Lorraine, we continued with our schedule, but in doing my early morning practice, I opened the windows a bit and locked the doors, taking my key and mat with me just outside the van.

Lorraine and Shirley appeared calmer after Laura’s answers.

“When we got to Virginia, we stayed with my parents for a few weeks while we looked for a place to rent or buy. I had previously sent on some of the larger pieces of artwork and a few items I didn’t want to part with that my parents stored in their garage. Dad had realtor friends searching for a comfortable place for us, where there would be room for Doolittle. This project seemed to give him interest and purpose as he was recuperating from his recent heart attack. 

We found the cottage I still live in. I’ve made changes to it over time, but it’s perfect for me to share with friends, student classes, and my family. The space is simple and open. It is in a rural area, and there is a large yard Julia and Doolittle enjoyed. Now my granddaughter and her English Setter, Harry, enjoy it when they visit.”

The group applauded Laura’s story, and, as they rose to tidy the kitchenette of their coffee treats, Eugene loudly announced, “Laura, we have truly enjoyed hearing your stories and are mighty grateful to you for sharing your wisdom and kindness with us!” The group applauded again, and group members hugged or shook Laura’s hands as she began to leave. 

When Laura climbed into her ‘Gram Van,’ with teary eyes and clenched throat, she again thought of the kind supportive people who seemed always to surround her and gave a sincere and quiet, “Thank you.”

Be well, my friends,

Suanne