Did you ever ask the universe for a sign?
If this happens, I'll do this thing.

That was my mindset this morning when I set out for a walk with the dogs.

It's raining here again for the umpteenth day.
I've lost count.
They're blurring together.
But it's October 1st.
The Baltimore Orioles are in the playoffs.
And good things happen in October.

So as we walked along our regular route...
...I scanned the perimeter.
I looked out to the edges, along the shadows.
And I smiled to myself and made that little wager.
'Show me a fox Universe'
'Show me a fox and I'll start'

Within minutes, out of the corner of my left eye I saw a movement up ahead.
Finn pulled slightly on his leash in confirmation...
...and I'm not making this up.

It took a few seconds for my sleepy eyes to adjust.
A fox came into view.
It jumped up onto a little stone wall, scampered across it, then jumped down and out of sight....
...my heart a flutter.

We quickened our pace and reached the end of the block.
I saw where the fox went but decided to loop back home.
Good luck is good luck.
It's not for me to push it.

As we headed back she came into view again.
She sat alongside a tree.
The dogs and I stopped and we stood there...
...looking at each other
...almost as if I was being told 'If you didn't believe your eyes before, believe them now'.

And then she casually trotted off down the road into the shadows.

Damn you Universe :)