Location Taken: Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, Washington
Time Taken: June 2008
There is a little dog laying next to my ear. I can hear her heartbeat, loud and clear.
It is faster than my own, a tempo much stronger, more energetic. Such a small heart, fitting such a tiny dog, but strong and enthusiastic.
It’s odd. We say someone who is nice and kind has a “big heart”, but really, you don’t particularly want a bigger than average heart. It’s usually a sign of not so good things. I suppose it’s yet another case of English’s quirks, how we use the term “heart” both for the physical heart and for the center of emotions.
I mean, elks have large hearts, I’m sure, but you don’t hear of them being sweethearts. Tiny dogs, on the other hand, can be the sweetest sweethearts out there. And the most irritating critters, but that’s another story.
Still, there’s nothing quite like curling up with a small dog, listening to the sounds of life.
Now if only the rhythm of the beat wasn’t making this headache I have worse…
