Surprised by Joy

On Saturday night, the day before Easter, I brought my wingman Musket to the Twin Cities.  On Sunday morning we went for an eight-mile walk through downtown Minneapolis and later down the Mississippi River waterfront.  In the hour before we started I found a set of rabbit ears and I thought it would be cute to have him wear them as we made our way through town.  What surprised me was the response.

My first hint at the public response was a gentleman who stopped on a busy roadway (Washington Ave), rolled down his window and shouted, "You and your dog are f--king awesome man!"  Children laughed, people waved, and numerous car horns were honked.  A tourist took our picture.  An old woman came up to me and said, "God bless you for doing this."

Really?  I dressed my dog up goofy and walked him through town so I could see some sculpture?  I'm not one to look a blessing in the mouth regardless of whose god is sending it but I am sure there are plenty of people within a mile of this spot doing more important work than clowning around town.

It was rewarding to see how much joy our unexpected presence brought to people, but I am surprised by it.  Young and old, Muslim and Christian, straight and gay, black, white, latino, and multi-racial, the homeless mentally ill as well as men in thousand-dollar suits escorting women wearing Valentino shoes cracked smiles, asked the dog's name, said, "thank you" and laughed out loud.  If I could bring that much joy on a regular basis, that would be a life well-lived, even if I never understood the process at play.