a moment in the day: front steps

It's cold, and I wish I were still sleeping. We walk down the sidewalk through the early morning dark, my fingers numb around the end of the leash, ice air a sting in my lungs. I reach for the handle of the apartment's entryway door and let Nicholas click happy toenails up the front steps ahead of me. Into the warm. He leads me up the marble steps and stops at the top, sits in a Chihuahua curl, nose up, to watch me pull out my keys. What more lovely moment can there be than the one of knowing that a dog can take completely for granted his safety, his comfort and his love.