Really, as with most things, it’s a matter of contrast and balance. You know, I spend a lot of time at a computer doing work–editing, writing, researching—and so I really enjoy getting outdoors and seeing the changing light, seeing the changing season with the different plants, catching a glimpse of an occasional animal.

Today I came up here to go on a little hike and somebody was asking me-right when I got on the trail, “have you seen a black dog? Have you seen a black dog?”

I said, “Aw, no. I’ll keep my eye out, though.”

Ran up the trail a way, got about three quarters of a mile in and I see this thing coming down the side of the hill. Sure enough, it’s the black dog. It sees me and it knows it’s busted. And I try to figure out, ok, how am I going to get this thing back to its owner? I think ok, I could probably grab its collar, but its eyes look kinda bugged out, it might be a little bit too afraid.

So instead, I say: “Hey, let’s go for a run,” and I start running down the trail and he looks at me, cocks his head and then takes off after me.

As I’m running down the trail, I can hear the owner down in the canyon below me yelling and I go, “Hey! I got your dog! I got your dog!”

And now the dog realizes, oh boy he IS busted, but he’s also excited. Maybe he knows the rain is coming, too and he just had to get some more laps in. But now, he starts chugging down the trail so fast I can’t keep up with him. Sure enough, I see the owner and the owner sees me. The trail traverses the hill and I’m up above, he’s down below, and the dog comes running down and I wait to make sure the dog makes it to him, and he does. The guy yells, “hey buddy! Thanks so much! I got my dog!”

And you know, that wasn’t going to happen inside, and that’s one reason I love the outdoors.