Major died last week. He was hit by a car.

It is such a sad deal. Major was the neighbor’s dog but the neighborhood belonged to Major.

Major did what Major wanted to do at all times. Somethimes, I would come home and find him laying in the middle of the road, right there on the yellow line. When I would go for a run, Major would follow me, often until I thought he was going to die from exhaustion. He once followed me almost five miles down Old Hwy78 before I eventually had to lock in up in someone’s backyard so that he didn’t get us killed. Most of the time, Major would run along the driveway when he saw our car pull up and expect something to eat. We usually gave it to him.

Major was an adventurer. He lived a life of curiosity, interest, energy and adventure. He was not content to sit on the porch and watch it all go by. The world belonged to Major and he was glad to own it. His universe would gather no moss.

Would Major still be alive today if he would have stayed on the porch?

Maybe?

I don’t know.

Would Major have been a happy dog with an exciting world full of people who loved and recognized him if he would have played it safe?

I doubt it.

In my opinion, Major had the right idea:

Be adventurous.

Enjoy the world.

Get off the porch.

Take some risks.

Watch for traffic.