This girl’s favourite thing in the world, apart from pets, is her ball.

The joy really begins when I step outside – the eagerness and excitement that resonates from her just because I have chosen to join her in our wild kingdom out back. She knows the signs for each season: a coat and shoes, or my laptop and shoes. She is attuned to the shifts and changes that are meaningful for her.

I can’t help but feel the same level of elation in these moments. I can’t ask her if she feels happy, but somehow my own body and mind seem to understand what she is experiencing. It brings a smile to my face every time, often without even realizing it has happened.

Her energy remains long after my own dies down, often replaced with a sense of calm and peace. This is the energy level of our other girl. She likes to watch the world in a slow and steady pursuit of curious exploration, usually as she sniffs the grass or puts her nose to the air – or, ya know, maybe barking at one or one thousand passers-by.

But my ball girl will not stop until you make it clear that it is time to settle for a while. However, long after she settles, she keeps her ball close, gripping it between her paws or simply tucking it beneath her neck as she naps for a brief moment.

The ball is everything…………….then again, perhaps it is the companionship, instead.