On November 1st, Uncle Fido excitedly gathered Tip and Tap and declared, "Good morning pups! Today is Extra Mile Day!" The two puppies, brimming with enthusiasm, took off running, thinking they needed to cover an extra mile in literal distance.

After reaching their destination, half a mile farther than usual, and getting back, they panted and exclaimed, "We did it! We ran an extra whole mile!"

Uncle Fido chuckled and shook his head. "No, no, my little adventurers," he said, "I didn’t mean that extra mile literally."

Puzzled, Tip and Tap scratched their heads, wondering how they could go the extra mile without running.

Suddenly Tap had an idea. "I think Uncle Fido meant we didn't have to cover the extra mile horizontally! We can do it vertically!"

"Ahh," Tip repied. "So you think we should start jumping? But we won't be able to jump a mile high, Tap."

"Remember he said not to take it literally, Tip," said Tap. "He probably meant we should aim to go a little higher with every effort, to push our limits.”

That made sense so they gave it a try and after jumping higher and higher for 33 minutes (the 3 minutes after the first 30 were extra) they bragged about it to Uncle Fido.

"I didn’t mean running a mile, and I didn't even mean jumping higher and higher," Uncle Fido explained finally. "Extra Mile Day is about going the symbolical extra mile in helping others.”

The pups understood at last and said to each other: "Let’s find a way to rise above our expectations and help someone today."

Eager to make a difference, they set off for the village, determined to find an opportunity to lend a hand.

As they walked through the village, they asked around, "How can we go the extra mile for you today?" They received smiles and thanks but no specific tasks to complete.

Feeling disheartened that they hadn’t found a way to help, the pups took a walk by the pond, overgrown with reeds and dotted with lilies. In the middle of the pond, they spotted a rowboat without any fisherman. It seemed out of place.

"That boat shouldn’t be there all alone," Tap remarked.

"You’re right," Tip agreed. "Let’s do it! Let’s go above and beyond to make things right."

With newfound courage, they plunged into the chilly water, swimming out to retrieve the rowboat. The fisherman, initially surprised, cheered when he saw Tip and Tap returning with his runaway boat.

In the end, the sun set on Extra Mile Day, and as the village gathered, Tip and Tap shared their story. The fisherman smiled and said, "You two really went the extra mile for me today."

Uncle Fido and the whole village joined in celebration, inspired by Tip and Tap’s determination and their understanding of the true meaning of going the extra mile.

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Binaural Space, Uncle Fido's cottage, October 2023