The Long Shot

The winds of change are blowing and I am left wondering what my life will look like this time next year. Life is weird and unexpected and often the things that are the most consistent, the most unfailing, the most secure, are the things that shift and rock us to our core. I often wonder if there are any certainties in life. Is there one thing that you know, without question, will be there when you wake up in the morning?
I see a woman every week at the dog park. Her hair color changes from pink to platinum to black and then back to pink. She drives a black Mini Cooper and she has three dogs in all different sizes. A couple months ago, her English Bulldog was stolen from her house. She woke up in the morning and he was gone, just like that. I imagine when she went to bed the night before, she assumed, without question, that when she woke up the next morning, he would be there, wagging his little stubby tail and smiling through the mask of drool that covered his smushed up face.
I guess there are no sure things, maybe that's why people often bet on the long shot. Four years ago, my friend James and I placed a bet on a guy with 18 to 1 odds during the "Homerun Derby." We brought a portable battery operated radio to work and sat at our desks listening as he hit the ball out of the park. We won hundreds of dollars, I don't remember the exact amount, plus the satisfaction of taking a risk on an unlikely choice and beating the odds.
I wish there was one thing in my life that I could always be sure of...even if it was just that woman 's hair color.