Welcome to another edition of Feel Good Friday – the weekly post where the goal is to send you into the weekend feeling good. You deserve that much after another week of work.

It’s true that John Hiatt is more well-known that a lot of the artists I feature here, but this song is such a good fit for Feel-Good Friday. Think about the things that make you feel good. Go ahead. Name some of them aloud. I’ll guess that some of the things you named are some of the simple pleasures in life. And if you’re truly a happy person, then it might be the simple pleasures that you enjoy most. You know, like taking your dog for a walk.

That’s right. John Hiatt wrote a song about not only taking a walk, but also the connection he has with his dog. And anyone who has ever had a dog knows the feeling a good dog can bring. It’s not just an animal, it’s a part of the family. And let’s face it. a dog can bring a lot of those simple pleasures into your life.

On this Feel-Good Friday – whether you have a dog or not – take a moment or two to appreciate any of those simple pleasures that bring joy to your life.

“My Dog and Me” is on John Hiatt’s album Beneath this Gruff Exterior (New West Records, 2003).