It could all be gone tomorrow

Yes, yes it could. But really, how likely is that? Not terribly. So, most of us don’t live that way – like there is no tomorrow.  We will think about it for a moment when we see the inspirational quote of the day on someone’s Facebook page or forwarded email, but in general, we don’t live like that. And, if it were “all” gone tomorrow – i.e. an earth-annihilating event – then it really wouldn’t matter because, well, we’d all be gone.

But what if it were one person, one being in your life who would be gone tomorrow? Knowing that, you would make a point of spending time with that person and cherishing the time you have with them. Right? But if you think about it, you should be doing that anyway. Right?

This last week, I received some grave news about my eldest pup, Forest. He had a tumor removed a couple weeks ago that was found to be malignant. While they removed the entire tumor, it was the type that could and would spread. Tests were done on the lymph nodes and one tested positive. It had spread, but we don’t know how far. I received all of the info available from the vet and two oncologists as well as doing my own research online. Yes, the tests needed, the surgery and chemotherapy would be expensive, but I didn’t really care about that. The prognosis of all professionals was with treatment, he has 9 to 12 months. Without, he has 3 to 6 months.

I received this information at work – I broke down 3 times that afternoon. I went home and did everything I normally do. And then I slept on it. I knew the right thing to do. In this case, quite bluntly, he’s a dog. Dogs have no concept of mortality. All they care about is their quality of life - their own happiness. This helped me to decide that the right thing to do, is nothing. I won’t put him through all of that just for a few extra months. And, my feeling is that he’ll last longer than what they think. Maybe that’s just me being optimistic but I can’t help the feeling.

This will be very difficult. It’s like outliving your children. It’s the toughest part of being a pet owner. But I feel good in the fact that I know I’ve given him the best life he could ever have. He is the best puppy ever and I tell him that every day. I always have.