One year ago today I took a detour on my way home to stop by a pet shop in Adachi to see a young puppy with white fur. Later that afternoon, after a bunch of paperwork, she came home with me.
Looking back at the early photos and videos, it's hard to believe that Ayumi used to be so small. We've been together for almost every hour of every day, unless I've been at church or out to a store, which makes it a little difficult to see her grow with time. Fortunately, cameras are incredibly ubiquitous now and we can very easily capture a moment to enjoy it at some point in the future. Will she continue to grow larger this year? I wonder ….
To celebrate this lovely occasion, Ayumi and I hopped in the car and drove to Noda to walk around the giant Shimizu Park that dominates the west side of the city. We crossed bridges, followed a river, walked through a bamboo forest, and met a bunch of people. After returning to the car, we drove over to Tsukuba to explore another park that is mostly known for its soccer fields and a very, very large grassy hill. Along the way we enjoyed a bit of food and we even shared some yogurt, which is one of her favourite treats.
As per usual, while we were on the road people would see us in our topless yellow car and smile. A number of people took pictures of Ayumi as she looked over the passenger-side window. Pedestrians on the sidewalk waved. A man on a scooter pulled up alongside us at a red light to say "hello".
So much has happened over this past year as a result of Ayumi and I being together that it sometimes seems unreal. How can so much take place in such a short period of time? A better question might be what does the future have in store?
At the tail end of 2022 I had made a list of things that I needed to do in order to position myself better for whatever might happen in the months and years to come. Ayumi was not on the list, but she provided a great deal of incentive to get to work on those objectives while also demanding some new ones. 2023 was remarkably productive, interesting, educational, and rewarding as a result. The first six weeks of 2024 has followed the trend with the added benefit of meeting new people just about everywhere we go.
Ayumi's name consists of two kanji: 歩 + 光. Progress and light. May our future together be long, interesting, and joyous.