Shaking

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We wanted to enjoy the above freezing weather. It was a beautiful night for a walk. Already I had seen a few people walking down the lovely boulevard and heard the neighbor kids across the street yelling in delight as they played a game of soccer.

To get in on the fun happening outside, I whistled for the pups, headed to the garage, retrieved their leashes off the hook outside the back door, which sent Chloe into what could have easily be mistaken as cirque du soleil routine.

Once I was able to get Chloe to calm down and cornered Silas long enough to strap his gentle leader around his white muzzle, off we went, down Lincoln Avenue towards Kickapoo St. It was after 5pm and Keokuk was like Michigan Avenue on a Friday night, a hot mess full of racing cars and hollering trains. Essentially, the perfect storm for a skittish dog like my sweet Chloe. As you can imagine, with every squeaking break and rattling wheel Chloe’s enthusiasm for the walk decreased and her anxiety went up like gas prices on a holiday weekend.

Thankfully the most arduous leg of the walk wasn’t the longest. Once we got to Kickapoo Street, I could finally exhale for there was more than 12 inches between a moving vehicle and our small pack. Indeed, a sign of relief for Chloe.

Or so I thought.

As we may our way down Kickapoo Street, the traffic lessened and the dogs more relaxed: Silas sniffing every tree and Chloe biting at his legs. Once again we had found our pace.
When we arrived at the intersection of Kickapoo and Pekin, we waited our turn to cross the street. Chloe took note of the 3 cars patiently awaiting our safe arrival to the other side. With a gentle nudge on the leash to release her hesitation, she picked up her pace, Silas maintained his, and I high stepped up the towering steps. We made it across safely to the empty sidewalk.
That is when it happened. That is when the worst fear of a dog owner occurred. As we got to Abe’s, the wind picked up causing the awning overhead to rattle and pop. Chloe got startled and pulled in the direction of the street.

“Shhhlink”. My heart sank as I heard the buckle on her collar break. In the middle of rush hour in small town USA, Chloe was in the middle of the street confused and scared.

Patiently but with terror in my veins, Silas and I jumped off the elevated sidewalk and we began making our way to her. She was between sitting and standing, tail tucked between her legs, ears back, and a look of fear that troubled my heart. As she straddled the two-lane street, a car arrived at the stop sign just a few hundred feet in front of us.

With one eye on Chloe and the other on the oncoming car, I began to offer a prayer, hoping the car would see my frightened friend.

“It’s okay sweet Chloe.” I said over and over. By the time I was on all fours making my way to Chloe, Silas joined me, sitting as solid as a rock, with his full attention on his kid sister. Together we wanted badly to rescue her, to bring her back to safety, and to replace that terrified look with one of her classic goofy smiles.

As she got closer the wind blew making the awning scream loud once more. The 2 steps Chloe took in our direction were undone as she went back 3. By now the one car had stopped but another one was on its way, this time coming from the direction of By the Bean.

“Come here, sweet girl. It is okay. We’ll go home,” I said with a frog in my throat, shaking in fear, trying to be calm so I could coax my golden girl back to us.

Finally, with traffic stopped and me on my knees in the middle of the street, Chloe came barreling back to us. As she sat on my lap and licked my face, I strapped her back in, kissed Silas on top of his head, and we headed back home.

A cozy stroll had quickly turned into a terrifying trip.

It can be easy to complain about living in a small town. However, yesterday, I was appreciative for the slower pace that accompanies rural areas and the kindness displayed by strangers in cars who were aware enough to stop. But also, last night’s events gave me a different perspective of one of my favorite quotes by Ram Dass,

“We're all just walking each other home.”


Pay attention, friends. The world is full of people, and dogs, overwhelmed and terrified of the world. We all are enduring our own struggles. I can’t help but wonder, what are we doing to help them get to wherever it is they are going?

Be kind to one another.

It is that easy.

[Adam Quinn, pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Lincoln]