Sleeping with Dogs

In the early morning darkness, I awake to the sensation of my dog’s warm head resting in the small of my back and take in the little poundings of her heart and her dreamy twitching. I hear the soft rumbles of my other dog’s deeply satisfied snoring and reach out to caress his ear. When I stop, he nudges my hand for more. In this moment I am grounded and present and full of love, for this potentially lonely slice of my solitude is perfectly filled.