Fields and trails and healing

Poor Bugsy remains in significant pain from his shoulder and his left hind leg. We tried massage over the weekend which was basically a fail. Bugsy remains the same as he was a puppy - which was 'HANDS OFF'!
He's such a loving dog its hard to explain to people that haven't experienced it but you don't pet Bugsy. He just doesn't seem to like it.
Anyway that didn't work out very well.
So back to pain meds and limited exercise.

Today I took him to our fields and as soon as I opened the hatch of the car, he ran down the ramp and was off and running in the field. Nose down, tail up, intense...........and happy. No way anyone would notice he has been struggling with injuries.

After I brought him back home, I decided to head out to a local wildlife management area for a trail walk. It was a cold, bright and still morning. I was alone with just the sleeping ducks. 
Really they were sleeping on the water.
Anyway this trail is convenient but I've always thought it was fairly boring. There are no great vistas, no interesting plants, and not much wildlife. I am preparing myself for longer hikes and hopefully a backpacking trip so I need to hit the trails, this one is just too convenient to not use it.
A funny thing happened while I was walking, alone, on this peaceful morning.
I began noticing how things had changed since last weekend when I last walked this trail. The water levels are much higher, there were many tracks in the mud, sparkly frost remained where the sun hadn't melted it yet and a huge tree now lay across the path.
I saw a squirrel foraging, loads of warblers (I never know which warbler is which, sorry), a sly red fox carefully watching me as he sipped water from the stream.
Standing amongst the 40ft long leaf pines I saw several 4 inch high long leaf pines.
Although our North Carolina Piedmont Winter is mild in comparison to many areas, the forest is still very much in Winter mode; grasses are yellow and trees are bare.

I thought about how many people I know who don't enjoy trails and as I slopped through mud I understood why. I, however, have always loved trails. Slopping through that mud reminded me of some funny and fun times as a kid and as an adult.
I love the sense of heaviness in your legs that occurs as you continue on your way and that feeling when you reach a destination - be it a lake or a river or vista or your car at the trailhead.
Mostly I just love being surrounded by the natural world that is constantly changing as it grows, dies, regenerates and morphs. I love being just part of the land along with the wildlife.
I find it peaceful and invigorating. It always takes me to a very different place than the 'normal' world I inhabit.

I realized along the way today that just as the fields, lakes and trails energize Bugsy and help him to forget his pain, they do the same for me. Its a different energy and different pain but the result is the same.