Kelly and I started the day with a 4 mile walk around the
lake in the rain. What was a slow
drizzle became a steady light rain soaking us.
Furthermore it was cold. It felt
like a chilly fall day especially when the breeze kicked up.
The walk itself, despite the rain, felt good. We kept up a steady pace at a little less
than 4 miles an hour. Not bad for a
walk. The plan was to walk the lake in
the morning and then hit the gym in the afternoon after our dogs vet
appointment. That didn’t happen.
Our Great Dane, Isabella, is over seven and half years
old and in good shape for a giant breed dog of her age. She is black with a
white chest, white socks, and a white tip on her tail. I just took her to the
vets a few weeks ago for a checkup since she wasn’t quite acting like
herself. They did an EKG and full blood
work and didn’t find anything noticeable wrong with her.
Four days ago we
noticed her left wrist starting to swell and then she quickly developed a
limp. I did a little research on the
internet that, quite frankly, scared the hell out of me. While a treasure trove of vital information
sometime you learn things from the internet you didn’t want to learn.
After some x-rays the vet confirmed what I thought it was
all along (even though I have no medical training I can did read up on all of
her symptoms). She has bone cancer. Needless to say my wife and I were devastated and in no
shape to hit the gym after getting the news that a member of our family has
only six months at best to live. There
were a few tears shed at the vet’s office but for her part Isabella seemed to
take it in stride. Her main concern was
how many treats she was going to get since our vet keeps a jar of them on the checkout
counter.
This evening we sought comfort in pizza and wine and sat on
the couch with Belle letting her try bacon and sausage which she loved. I know it seems sappy but our beautiful dog
serves as a reminder that each day is short and we should live it the best we
can, love those in our life with all we have, and cherish every moment.
So far I have watched two members of my family, both
grandparents, wither away and die from cancer. It’s like it serves as a
constant reminder not to get so caught up in things that we simply forget to
enjoy what we have. I know all this has
been said before by other people and in other ways but it doesn’t make it any
less true.
Speaking of truth we will have to hit the gym tomorrow to
try to undo some of what we did to ourselves with our pizza and wine consumption. I don’t regret it though since sometimes you
need some comfort food.
Daily Recap:
Matt and Kelly: 3.8 mile walk around the lake
Isabella with all of her stuffed animals.
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