When a Wet Dog Crashes Your Mindfulness Ritual

November Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Collecting Smiles!”

Our eyes met across the pond.

My son and I make weekly visits to the local Buddhist temple. Developed by the Nipponzan-Myōhōji monks of the Buddhist order, the tranquil grounds feature a small pond, a rock garden, a memorial pagoda, a peace tree, and numerous benches and altars.

My son loves to sit near the pond. His favorite place is a stone bridge that crosses the water. We often rest on this bridge and watch the glowing orange koi and the muddy green lizards swim.

On this day, we were following koi fish from one end of the pond to another when a dog emerged from the neighboring trees. It was alone, and it spotted us.

Suddenly, the dog sauntered right into the shallows, lapping up big gulps before swimming our way. This bold canine must have received quite a blessing, drinking and submerging itself in the temple pool.

When it lumbered ashore on our side of the pond, I reached out a hand to pet its silky fur, and it sat right on my feet, sopping wet. We were both all smiles — so happy to meet each other.

Eventually, the dog wandered off (hopefully to find its owner). But as my family continued our visit, walking past the rock garden and along the forested path, my soggy socks reminded me of the golden-haired beast who crossed enchanted waters to greet me.

Thanks to Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles for sharing this prompt!

Join me on Medium: https://medium.com/subscribe/@mosslevel