Before the forest comes to life

Hug a tree today
London, ON
April 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The scene: our dog is leading the way as we head home from a walk. A warm breeze blows under a gently cloud-flecked blue sky, an ideal spring evening to be out and about.

We come across a path leading into a small woodlot carved out of the otherwise concrete-encased suburb. Calli the Wonderschnauzer quietly pulls to the right, as if she wants a moment among the trees before we get home. Since I’m not one to disagree, we soon find ourselves padding along the soft path, guarded by giant, bare branches overhead.

Some of the canopy has begun to sprout springtime buds, but most of it is still bare. I lean against a particularly craggy trunk and watch her sniff its roots, the rough texture of the bark making its presence felt through the back of my shirt.

A squirrel leaps from one branch to another, fearless in the face of gravity. Calli is so entranced by whatever is going on on the forest floor that she misses the show overhead. She gets a treat for her uncharacteristic good behaviour, and I gently coax her back toward the real world.

I take a few quick photos on the way out, reminders of an unremarkable moment in the shared life of a dog when nothing matters beyond saying hello to the trees and putting everything else on pause. I should follow her lead more often.

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