You Never Know

Oh, I get so much joy from the unexpected. (Well, let me qualify that. Not unexpected parking tickets, head colds, or floods in the garage. Those unexpected things stink.) I’m talking about happening upon something surprising, delightful or funny (or all three, simultaneously).

Take yesterday, for example. We had a picnic dinner with Chris, whose birthday was earlier this week. Suddenly, one of us spotted it. It was trotting along the bike path behind its owner, enjoying a sunset walk. It was a pot-bellied pig.

Mind you, we don’t live anywhere near a farm. This was at a big park in the suburbs. You’d have to drive an hour to find a barn. Maybe more. So pigs were not high up on my list of things I thought we might see. A kite? Sure. There was a tiny breeze. Boats? Yes. Dogs, strollers, picnickers? Absolutely. These are what you expect at parks.

I grabbed my camera and raced after Piggy. When I caught up to Piggy and Piggy’s Parent I asked if I could take a photo. Piggy’s Parent offered Piggy a treat if Piggy would sit. Piggy sat.

After a very short break, Piggy’s Parent said it was time for Piggy to resume jogging. Jogging? "Oh, Yes,” the owner replied. I jokingly asked if Piggy was planning to compete in the Rock and Roll Marathon, which is tomorrow. There are projected to be 32,850 runners, 55 live bands on 30 stages, and you never know, maybe a potbellied pig or two.

Pamplona, Spain has its Running with the Bulls festival. At Sea World you can swim with dolphins. Why not jogging with pigs?

In defense of Piggy, though, his legs were awfully short. And his tummy grazed the grass as he jogged along. I’m not sure that a 26.2-mile marathon is a safe or reasonable challenge for him at this time. When your legs are that short, running 26.2 miles would be like an average human running 200 miles!

I won’t be at the marathon tomorrow. There is a barn-sized pile of laundry I need to lasso and 26.2 different kinds of chores for me to catch up on (if I can stop blogging and sewing long enough to do them). But you’ll let me know if you see Piggy at the marathon, right? Anything’s possible. Around here, you just never know what you’ll see…