No doubt about it, I'm an introvert. I can happily spend hours and hours entertaining myself. Given a choice of communicating by writing versus talking, I'll almost always choose to write a text, an email, a blog post. I'm quite content to go on long hikes or bike rides all by my lonesome. Well, no, not by my lonesome because I'm not lonely, I'm just alone.
I'm not trying to say that I never want to spend time with others. I love to have lunch with friends, and sometimes it's wonderful to have someone to enjoy the great outdoors with. A chat partner always makes the drive to Anchorage go by faster. But often, having company is simply exhausting. As a result, I seldom make the effort to find someone to play with.
One of the impetuses (impeti?) I had for getting a dog was to having a hiking, snowshoeing, running partner. I was tempted by an adult husky at the shelter, Butter, because he was ready to go in that regard. I wouldn't have had to wait for him to get big enough and strong enough to join me. But no, the thrill of a puppy we could raise to our standards was just too much to ignore. We brought home 12-week-old Scout instead.
Of course, at 12 weeks she's too little to do much more that stroll with a bit. Last night we walked on the road out to the highway. Nice, but nothing special. I kept her on a leash, and learned she has a healthy fear of cars.
This morning, however. Ah, this morning. I left her off-leash for a stroll through the woods behind our house. Both walks were about a mile, today's possibly shorter; not long enough to be exercise for me, but perfect for her. It was such a joy, however, to tromp on the hard-packed snow with this little bundle of fur romping around me. I loved having someone else there, a presence that required no real effort from me to entertain but still provided company.
By summer, Scout will be six months old. I do look forward to spending longer hours and miles in the woods with her. The perfect companion for this grumpy introvert.
