Sometimes, I allow myself to get buried under all of the things that pretend to be so uberimportant ... and I forget to pay attention to the things that really, truly do matter...
This morning, I was checking my email, my social networking sites, reading the news of the world, and doing all the other things that I must do every day because I think it's soooo freakin' important. My old dog, Cleo, came up and gently nudged my arm...(thankfully not the one holding the cup of coffee). At nearly 14, she's starting to really show her age, the gray
taking over what was once sleek jet black...She moves slower, struggles to rise
and sometimes can't hide the pain in her legs....I am frequently reminded that my time with her is limited....
So I glanced down at her, intending to shoo her away, because I was, after all, so very busy..... but I looked
into her very aged eyes... not as
bright as they once were, clouded with cataracts, surrounded by the dull, gray fur....But they reflect so much.... In that brief moment, I crashed face first into absolute clarity..
In a flash, I saw all of the amazing dogs that have drifted
in and out of my life over the last 14 years... Big and little
dogs....friendly and not-so-friendly...the healthy ones and
the sick ones....the ones with owners who love them and the ones without....the ones at the beginning of their lives, and ones at the very end....
Each
and every one has become a part of me, a part of my soul.
I placed my hand on her head (which is really all she ever wants in life), looked into those opaque little eyes...and accepted the gift she was giving.... The gift of sight......
I am sometimes asked if I think I survived my heart attack for a specific reason, if there is something that I'm still supposed to do. I don't think so. I think I'm already doing exactly what I am supposed to do.......
With clear vision from the Darkside......
