Warmth Pt. 01

Pine's energy level definitely went up whenever he was around other dogs. This was abundantly clear when we took him to the dog park. I met up with James and his dogs there so we wouldn't just be two humans going to a dog park alone. James knew the people there and said nobody would care, but I insisted. Pine got so excited running around and playing with all the dogs that it was exhausting just to look at him. One of the habits he'd developed when he let loose completely was getting on top of me, often jumping at me from a running start. He wouldn't let go, either. One time I stood up with him on my back and he just held on even tighter. In fact, he really liked when I gave him piggyback rides, even though I was too weak to do it for very long.

It wasn't like I only interacted with James because of Pine, though. The two of us became genuine friends with each other. We'd eat lunch together at work, talk to each other, and he let me know that he was always available if I had any problems with Pine. I'd missed having friends, although it took making a new one for me to realize just how much.

And, of course, my home life with Pine was great. Even though I could never have a conversation with him, I never felt lonely when he was with me.

One thing about Pine that impressed me greatly was how much his sculpting would improve over time. Even though he could only make detail so fine using just his fingers, his memory was astounding. He could see and get his hands on something only once and be able to recreate it with clay later.

As weird as it sounds, though, the biggest difference Pine made in my life was that he made sleeping easier than it had ever been at any other point in my existence. Gone were the nights when I'd lay awake, lost in my own thoughts. Gone were the nights when I'd alternate between being too hot and being too cold. All I had to do was get my arms around Pine and I'd be out like a light. It made a dramatic difference. My energy improved, I'd stop having those periods in the afternoon where I was so tired I could barely think, and I felt like I needed to drink less coffee to function normally. It didn't take long for me to wonder how I had ever slept without him in the bed with me.

I enjoyed living with Pine immensely. He was the reason why that September was one of the best months I had ever had in my life.