On April 9th, Sara and I had to do one of those things familiar to every pet owner. We had to put JC, our spoiled rotten poodle, to sleep. I say spoiled rotten as she was incredibly well taken care of in the ten plus years she lived in our home. She came to live with us after being found in a road side ditch in Clark County, presumably after being discarded by the puppy mill which used her for breeding. This won't sound right, but all I have to say to those who disposed of her in such a manner is, "Thank You."
Thinking about JC causes me to reflect on the small things making up a lifetime which are only recognized when we look back. JC was clearly Sara's dog, but there were things she did and moments I will always remember. If you have had pets or animals in your life, I am sure you have similar stories. Another thing it made me think of is when I had a horse that really didn't like me. There was just something there which caused us to clash. I think we sometimes forget that although pets try generally to make us happy, they also have a free will. This is sometimes easier to recognize in a 1500 pound horse rather than a nine pound poodle.
If you wonder about this, talk to almost anyone who has had a rescued animal. There are exceptions, but owners of rescued pets I know talk about them as though the animal recognizes that the rescue is the best thing that ever happened to them. With JC, it was as though she knew she was living a second, completely different, part of her life.
So, it causes me to circle back around to the "Thank You" part of this story. Speaking completely for myself, and not for anyone else, although I complain about things as much as others, there are probably more times than I want to admit when my response to the situation should be "Thank You." Looking back on many of the things I have gone through, I came out the other end stronger and more confident than I went in. This is not something to complain about, but rather something to celebrate. If I can actually do this more often, it will make me a better person.
Okay, enough. I miss JC and have every confidence the time will come when we will have another dog in our house. But, along with all this, there are some big things happening. Many in the next month.
First, I get to see Megan graduate from law school. It is almost impossible to think about it, but we have gone through the three years it takes to get through law school. And she has a job! While we are celebrating her, I get to be with my sister, my family, and some very dear friends. What could be better? We are even going bowling together. I'm a terrible bowler, but can hardly wait.
Second, I get to add air conditioning at the Toybox next month. This may sound like a little thing, but it will make it possible for me to get about three more months of work a year out of the space. For me, this is really a big deal.
Third, we have an actual "real" vacation planned for this summer. We are going to San Francisco. I have planned and scheduled this trip for times in the last 31 years and have been forced to cancel it every time. This time is the one. We will get there.
Finally, I have reached the point where we can move forward with the next library project our of the Toybox. We were initially scheduled for some time in January/February, but with everything happening last year, it all slowed down. Fortunately for the project, I got everything produced at the end of last year. I say fortunately because for those of you not affected by the cost of lumber products. Count yourself as fortunate. In this case, I beat the price increase and I get to hold the price for the project.
So, to finish today, I count myself as fortunate in so many ways, but on the things I do not see in the same light, I need to look at them differently. I am here, getting to play this event called life, and I need to see as much of it as possible through the right lens. The lens I need to use is of a twenty year old, nine pound poodle. Although mostly blind, thankful for every day and everything and being as joyous as she could be.
I may have been a little sappy today, but it is what I am thinking about. Have a great weekend!
