Slice of Life (Day 19): A Boy A Dog A Sled A Hill

(This is for the Slice of Life challenge, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. We write all through March, every day, about the small moments in the larger perspective … or is that the larger perspective in the smaller moments? You write, too.)

It might have been one of the last sledding days of Winter. A few days after the blizzard, and with rain coming, and with Spring just around the corner, my son readily agreed to an invitation yesterday to join a group of friends at the hill at his middle school for sledding (and King of the Mountain, and snowball fights, and all the things you can expect a group of adolescent boys to do with snow).

Boy and Duke on hill

We arrived on time, but no one else was around yet (everyone else was late to the sledding party), so my son began the walk up the hill, and I let our dog, Duke, go free from his leash so that he could join him on the journey. As my son zoomed down the hill, Duke ran alongside him, tail wagging hard, as they both barreled down the steep slope, joy on both of their faces.

Peace (in snow, melting),
Kevin

13 Comments
  1. This small moment seems so crisp and clear in your retelling. I can feel the quiet punctuated by the sounds of snow crunching, the dog panting, and the sled whirring down the slope.

  2. I’m glad you shared about the time, and the picture, too. Snow brings out magical play in children who don’t always do other things outside.

  3. Somehow that encapsulates “childhood”, fresh and unbound, possibilities looming a moment away, unbridled joy and energy.

  4. I enjoyed reading this slice of fun in the snow. It has only snowed once this year and it was more sleet and ice so not good sledding weather. So glad you had this moment to enjoy!

  5. Most everyone on the site has been complaining about the snow, eager to move on to spring. I, for one, lament the warm winters we’ve been having, knowing they are a reflection of deep climate change. That said, it was heartwarming to see your photo and know that fathers, like yourself, are supporting the age-old activities of sledding, snowballing, etc., that kids so enjoy in winter. Heck, it was nice to see that there’s still some winter left in our world.

  6. Kevin, I loved hearing about your son and dog enjoying their run. There is still a good deal of snow by you. We did not get the storm last night-just sleet, rain, hail, and back to rain.

  7. I love the tranquility of this photo. I can “hear” the quiet created by the insulation of the snow, and by the solitude of the boy and his dog.

Leave a Reply to dogtrax Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *