Something I’ve been faced with a lot lately is old age. Not my old age – despite the fact that I officially feel old seeing that I can no longer have coffee after lunch or I’ll be awake all night – but the old age of others around me. Growing old is inevitable. And it’s definitely preferred to the alternative. However, you have to be tough be able to grow old – it’s no easy feat.
Speaking of old, I’d like to introduce you to Bailey. Bailey is the dog I grew up with that was my dog. When we got her when I was in third grade, it was under one condition: I was the one responsible for taking care of her. Done. Now, it’s a little hard to take care of her when I’m two and a half hours away from her and I miss her like crazy, but I try to make up for it when I do get to see her.
In case you didn’t put the math together, Bailey is now 14 years old. Life is challenging when you are a 14 year old dog. Her sassy butt-wiggle turned into a slow, deliberate gait and her incessant energy turned into endless naps. She has to be cautious with her movements as she knows she lacks the strength that she used to have. At her age, whenever something is wrong, I think “this is the beginning of the end,” as morbid as that sounds. I don’t find it morbid – it’s not that I think she has 9 lives or anything – it’s just that I have to face the reality of the situation.
In her old age, I’ve come to the conclusion that we can learn a lot from dogs. Bailey has taught me more life lessons through the concept of aging than I could ever learn from a textbook.
She’s taught me to be strong in situations outside of my control. If I could have it my way, Bailey would live forever, but I know that’s not possible.
She’s taught me to be patient (a virtue which doesn’t run in the Willis family). Not just in the instances where it takes her longer than it used to to complete a task, but the journey of life itself.
Bailey has taught me to trust my intuition. Last time I was home, we had an instance where she wasn’t willing to walk and was dragging one of her back legs – ended up being a minor issue of inflammation – but still was something that required medical care and could not be put off. Taking care of yourself is extremely important and dogs depend on us to take care of them. Your body’s reaction to something harmful is pain, and sucking it up to see a doctor will not be the end of the world.
She’s made me appreciate the little moments. Now, I just want to sit next to her and pet her over and over because I don’t know how many times I’ll be able to do that. Spending time with our loved ones is important and should be a high priority.
Bailey has also taught me to enjoy the journey. That dog loves walks and car rides. Too often we are set on achieving an end goal and don’t take time to appreciate the steps that it takes to get there.
Last but not least, Bailey has taught me unconditional love. No matter what, dogs love unconditionally. Bailey is always so happy to see me when I come back to see her (after she’s done barking at me because she’s mad that I left her) and she is always there to accept me when I come back.
–CW
The Blonde Blogger 