Bruno

The love of my life right now is not a man.

It's my dog, Bruno.

Bruno is a Pittweiler — a Rottweiler/Pitbull mix — born November 15, 2019. I adopted him in May of 2020, as the pandemic was unfolding, from a family that loved him very much but had to move to an apartment that didn't allow dogs. He's been by my side ever since.

After decades on the road — state capitols, conflict zones, village meeting rooms — coming home to Bruno is the best part of every day. He doesn't care about politics. He cares about walks, belly rubs, and showing up. Honestly, he's got the right priorities.

Bruno travels back and forth with me between DC and Cambridge, and stays in Cambridge when I go to Rwanda or have to travel elsewhere. My Cambridge home has four humans and four dogs. We all care for each other — and them. My brother and his wife and their two dogs, Bodie and Teddy, live in our upper unit; and Ann — my best friend — and her dog Leo are in the lower unit. We're in the magical Huron Village neighborhood in Cambridge, just a few blocks from Fresh Pond, where we walk them (and Bruno swims) almost every day.

But my greatest joy — and the peace I find — is watching Bruno swim. There's nothing like it.