Remarkable joy

Its been a rough 6 weeks around here. I picked up a contract and am working @ 60 hrs a week, traveling some, and awake at 5 most days.
Bugsy isn't too happy about this development but we've been making the best of it.

It is beyond remarkable how happy he is to awake at 5 and be out walking down the road in the pitch black soon after.
He's bouncing and excited and RARING to go. We fly down the road, me struggling to stay upright while he trots and hunts as happy as can be.
Our walks are brief but he doesn't care - he's happy.
He does become morose when I switch the shower on, but he somehow makes it through the day without me LOL
Then the larger than life greeting when I get home. He's bouncing again and tossing toys around and trying to steal something from my work bag to instigate a chase.
He asks outside and ZOOMS around trees and bushes, dodging and darting.
Then he settles in the area near the patio, where we got into the habit of providing him with an huge ice cube that has some cheese or meat in it. He will sit there patiently, no noise, no movement just waiting with a look of hope. "I know they will bring it to me soon!"
Having finished his ice cube treat he was back in again.  This time I told him to go chew his new bone, and off he shuffled to find this horn thing I bought over the weekend. Once found, the chewing began and the next time I looked over he was on his back, holding the chew with his front paws, tail thumping the ground.
Completely and utterly joyous.
After eating my dinner I needed to walk down the road to deliver something to a neighbor.
I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk, he pretty much reacts with more excitement than I would if I won Powerball.

I am just - especially considering my flagging energy - completely stunned at his energy and JOY!
Once again he's bouncing down the road, jaunty with that silly gait caused from his surgeries; he sees some dog buddies and off he goes me in tow!
Isn't the world marvelous?

Joy. The unbridled, carefree, tint-free, cartoon-esque, innocent happiness that only children know and sometimes I think these days we've intruded on their experience of this perfect joy.
I am thankful to have such a wonderfully happy boy in my life and also happy that I can stop everything else in my life - even if only for a few moments - to enjoy his joy.