The importance of fun

One of my clients recently had me come over to help her address an issue with one of her cats. It seems several of her neighbors had complained to her about her cat "Buck" and how he was beating up all the neighborhood cats. They were unhappy about it and wanted her to do something. She had no idea what to do, thus I got the call.

When I first sat down with Buck, I was confused. I didn't sense he had a mean bone in his body and I didn't feel like he had a desire to fight with other cats. What I did sense was a desire to play. When I talked to his guardian about what I was picking up, all of the sudden things started to click for her. She said, "Since the time he was a kitten, he has been around dogs. He has always played with our two dogs and he always seemed to love it." I immediately got a sense of what was going on . . . Buck knew how to play with dogs, and he tried to play with other cats the same way, which was obviously a little too rough.

I had a talk with him and explained what I thought was going on. I told him that he was going to need to learn to be more gentle when he played with cats, that it wasn't the same as playing with a dog that was 5x his size. I asked him to please try being more gentle when he attempted to engage another animal in play. After our talk, he got up and walked out of the room.

His guardian and I continued to talk as we sat on the floor and all of the sudden one of her other cats appeared, laid down in front of me and rolled over on his back. As I was petting him, I said, "In all the times I have been here, I don't think I have ever seen him anywhere but the desk" and she laughed and said "Unless he needs to eat or go to the bathroom, he never leaves the desk." As he continued to roll around on the carpet in front of me, I could feel his joy. He was so excited we had talked to Buck and I realized he was afraid of Buck too . . . and that he was thrilled that we had finally talked to Buck about his "play style".

Buck's guardian told me that in the last couple of weeks, her other cat was now happily roaming around the house, something she wasn't sure he had ever done. She had never realized that it was fear that kept him on the desk all day. She thought he just liked it up there, but the change in him after we had our talk with Buck was amazing. She said he had been more playful, more adventurous, more affectionate. All this time, she thought he was just a "desk potato" but it turns out, he wanted a whole lot more out of life.

While it wasn't a good thing that the neighbors were upset with Buck, it ended up being a blessing in disguise because not only were we able to figure out what the problem was with Buck's play style, but we were able to open up a whole new world for her other cat.

Unfortunately, she was also noticing that Buck didn't seem happy when he came in from being outside anymore. He used to love going outside and was always very animated when he got home, but lately, he just looked bummed out when he got home. She asked me to talk to him the next time I was over at their house and see if I could figure out what was going on.

What I picked up from him was that even though Buck was willing to be more gentle and learn how to play like a cat instead of a dog, the other cats in the neighborhood wouldn't give him a chance. They would all run whenever they saw him coming. He was feeling sad about that because he really wants someone to play with. I explained to him that it's just going to take some time for him to rebuild trust with the other cats in the neighborhood. I told him that they don't know yet that he is trying to change and that he will need to show them he is being more gentle . . . and that he needs to be patient.

I think Buck will eventually find his way. He has a heart of gold and he is such a sweet cat. I am hopeful that the neighborhood cats will give him another chance.

Speaking of the importance of playing, I have another client whose cat has had some medical issues that I have been helping her get to the bottom of. The last time I was there, I kept getting the sense that her cat wasn't having enough fun. I asked her if she'd be willing to schedule a little play time every day with her cat. I wasn't sure how it was connected to the medical stuff, but I really felt like her cat needed to have a little more joy in her life. She said she was definitely willing to give it a try and that she'd keep me posted.

I got a call from her other other day and just the sound of her voice made me smile and told me things were going well. She said she couldn't believe what a positive impact the daily "play time" was having, not just for her cat but for her as well. She said she didn't think her cat ever wanted to play, as she had always been kind of shy and kept to herself, but since they started the daily play time, she said it was as if her cat developed a whole new personality.

She was now more animated, more affectionate, she was following her from room to room around the house, something she had never done before. She said her cat even starts playing with toys on her own now, something she thought she'd never see. She said she noticed that she's been happier too, that she looks forward to their play time as much as her cat does and that she finds herself smiling a lot more. Interestingly enough, her cat's medical issues seem

to be improving as well, without any change other than the daily play time.

It's a reminder to me how important play time is . . . not just for our animals, but for us as well. It's also about balance to me, something I wasn't very good at before Lucky came into my life. I've learned that if we schedule in a little fun every day, it makes it easier to deal with the more difficult or serious parts of our life. I guess that's why I was always so committed to getting Lucky to the park every day or why I always scheduled a trip to the beach after our tax appointment every year. Lucky has taught me a lot about the importance of having balance.

And I got another reminder this week, when I started to slip back into my "old ways." On Tuesday afternoon this week, Lucky seemed to lose all bladder control again. I took her out to go potty and she went but an hour later, the blanket she was laying on was soaked with urine. That night (and the next night, and the next night), we would go out to go potty before bed and she would pee a LOT, then I would wrap the lower half of her body up in a towel when I put her in bed. I'd wake up a couple hours later to find the towel soaking wet, which meant her pressure sore was also soaking in urine. I'd clean her pressure sore, change her bedding, re-wrap her in a towel and try to go back to sleep. A couple hours later, I'd wake up and find the towel soaking wet again, and the steps would need to be repeated.

This "trend" continued through Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and it was really exhausting me. I didn't know if it was going to be another temporary bout of incontinence like we had last May, or if it was going to be our new "normal." It was wearing me down, not just because of the massive amount of laundry I was doing every day and the lack of sleep but because of the fear that her pressure sores would get infected again. By Friday, I realized that I was so focused on the tasks at hand, that we hadn't been having any fun since Tuesday.

I was supposed to have lunch with a friend on Friday afternoon. I almost cancelled because I was feeling so wiped out but fortunately, I remembered how helpful "fun" can be when you are feeling the pressure of your "responsibilities."

I explained to my friend what I was dealing with and he was not deterred. He suggested we have lunch at a local restaurant that we could walk to, and told me they had a wonderful little table outside in a garden like setting where Lucky could join us. It sounded good to me, so we put Lucky in the wagon and cruised over to the restaurant.

Once we were there, I was delighted to see the little table, tucked off to the side of the parking lot, surrounded by plants and flowers. We wheeled Lucky and her wagon into the little dining area, went inside to order our food and then sat at the lovely table outside while we waited for our food. It was the perfect setting for some much needed R&R.

Eventually, Lucky decided she wanted to get out of her wagon, so I put her on the ground next to our table. (and no one was around to witness the pee accident she had when I lifted her out of the wagon, for which I think Lucky and I were both equally happy). She seemed to really enjoy herself and I know I did. It felt good to be doing something other than laundry :-) and it was nice to relax in the company of a good friend and think about something other than pressure sores and urine.

So, on Friday, we found some balance again. Thankfully, the accidents seem to be slowing down. We only did one bedding change last night and today, Lucky has seemed to have more control of her bladder. It's looking like maybe it was a temporary thing after all, although I know that if it starts again, we'll deal with it. As long as I can remember to keep scheduling "fun" for us, we'll be able to handle whatever stress comes along with our new challenge.

If you are feeling stressed out, maybe it's time for you to schedule a little "fun" as well. I am a firm believer in the importance of finding balance, even if I temporarily forget from time to time.

A lesson in Perseverance

This week, Lucky is teaching me about perseverance. I always assumed my role to the end of this journey would be: the strong one, the positive one, the "come on, we can do this" one, but Lucky and I had a role reversal this week.

When I was feeling worn out and tired, she was the one who was barking commands at me . . . come on, mom, I want to move here, come on mom, I want to go there. At a time when I thought her body was giving out, instead, she seems to be the strong one, the one encouraging me to keep going, the one encouraging me to ignore the pain and get up again. And I have been doing my best to keep up with her.

I have a friend who lives out of state who calls me about once a week to check on Lucky and I. When he called the other day, I was pretty down. He started to offer words of support about Lucky's imminent departure and I had to stop him. I said, "This week, I am not sad about her passing away, I am worried that I can't keep up with her, I am worried I am going to let her down by not being as strong and determined as she is this week." I heard relief in his voice as he laughed and reminded me that my girl was being the "mom" this week and that I needed to honor what she was trying to teach me.

Instead of being disappointed in myself for not being able to keep up with her, I needed to relish in the fact that she was showing me that she could be the strong one when I was feeling defeated. It gave me a whole new perspective on things and it felt good to be reminded that Lucky and I really do have a 2-way relationship. It isn't just about me being the caretaker . . . sometimes, I get to receive the pep-talks, even if it comes in the form of barks. :-)

We had an experience at the park earlier this week that had bummed me out. As usual, when we are at the park, Lucky is quickly surrounded by children of all ages, some that she knows, and news one that she has just met. They are always full of questions (and often their parents are too), and I do my best to answer all the questions they have. Lucky was having a great time getting attention, including lots of pets and kisses from the kids. We were surrounded by close to 15 children and adults when all of the sudden, Lucky started to get squirmy and looked like she wanted to get off her wagon. I thought maybe she wanted to stretch her legs, so I lifted her up off the wagon and the second I did, there was a waterfall of pee and diarrhea coming out of her. I felt so bad, I had no idea she had to go potty.

It all happened so fast . . . I put her front legs down on the ground and was holding up her back end, while attempting to quickly formulate a plan for what I was going to do next. I needed to get her somewhere, I needed to clean up what had just happened and when I looked up, everyone was gone. Not just the new people we had met, but the people we already knew. It was as if someone waved a magic wand and "poof!" they had all disappeared.

I picked Lucky up and then carried her over to the grass. Once she was settled, I made a mad dash for my backpack to get a plastic bag, then I was back and forth 6-7 times to the bathroom for paper towels to try and clean everything up, then I borrowed a bucket from someone in the play area to fill with water to wash the urine off the sidewalk. The whole time I was doing this, there wasn't a person in sight. It was the oddest feeling. When I got back over to the grass where Lucky was, I discovered she had had more diarrhea so I was back and forth to the bathroom several more times for more paper towels to clean her up and clean up the grass. Once I finally got everything cleaned up, I put Lucky in the car, got her wagon and put that in the car and we drove home.

On the way home, it started to hit me how disappointed I felt. I couldn't believe there wasn't a single person who said, "Can I help?" Not a single person offered to do anything for us. In a park full of people, many we have known for years, I had never felt so alone. I think what bothered me even more was that I have always been so kind and so attentive to all the children we meet. I have helped clean up scraped knees, I have listened to kids tell me stories and shown an interest in everything they wanted to share with me, but when I was MY child who was having a problem, not a single person came forward to help.

I could think of all the reasons they might not have helped . . . maybe they were scared, maybe they were uncomfortable with the bodily functions that had been "expressed" . . . maybe they didn't think I needed any help, maybe it was ten other reasons, but it didn't stop me from feeling disappointed. Even though I know some people are just not wired to jump in and help when someone is in need, it didn't make it hurt any less.

Two days later, when it was a "park day" again (we go to the park on non-water therapy days), I wasn't all that excited about going. I wasn't sure I was up for it, but when I asked Lucky if she wanted to go to the park, her ears stood up at full mast and she looked so excited, I knew I needed to suck it up and take her to the park. Within minutes of getting to the park, we ran into someone we knew and his first question was, "Is there anything I can do to help?" I was stunned silent for a moment and I didn't know if I wanted to smile or cry. It felt so good to be asked if we needed help, especially since we weren't in the middle of a crisis at the time.

We had a wonderful day at the park that day. Lucky saw many of her favorite friends and she even wanted to get out of the wagon and walk a bit with her sling. The kids were very curious about the sling and asked if I would let them try using the sling so they knew what it was like for Lucky. I of course couldn't say no, so I "walked" some of the kids on the grass with the sling under their torso, while they used their arms to balance themselves. They were all so excited that they got to give it a try. Then they all reported back to Lucky about their experience and complimented her on how strong her arms must be to be able to walk like that.

When it was time for us to go, Lucky didn't want to get back in the wagon, so I put the sling back under her torso and let her take the lead. She walked all the way across the entire park, through the parking lot and to our car. Again, one of the parents asked if they could help and I passed the sling over for a few minutes so my arms could get a break. When their arm muscles started to shake, I took over again and we got to the car. Lucky looked so happy and so full of pride. I smiled as I went back to retrieve her wagon and wheeled it, empty, back to our car. I felt proud of Lucky, and was so touched that someone offered to help. It was a totally different experience from our last trip to the park.

I knew Lucky wanted to prove she was ok, that she was still strong and capable and I think she was also showing me that we don't have to let things get us down. Sure, it was a disappointing experience at the park a few days earlier, but that didn't mean all our trips to the park were going to be a disappointment.

I have always been a person who offers to help. I guess I am just wired that way but I was even more determined to pay attention this week to the people around me. When I was at Costco and saw a woman struggling to put a case of water on the bottom of her cart, I asked if she needed some help. She had it handled but the look on her face and the way her eyes got misty when I asked told me that we don't offer to help people enough. When I was at Safeway the next day and saw a man struggling to free a shopping cart, I offered to help. When we finally got it unstuck, he offered it to me and I told him that I was only getting two things and didn't need a cart. He stood there looking at me oddly for a minute and then got the biggest grin on his face. He said "Thank you for the help" and I said "It was my pleasure. Have a great day."

When I see the look of gratitude on people's faces when someone offers to help, even with the smallest thing, it makes me wonder why people don't do it more often. The simplest gestures can often have the biggest impact. I feel blessed whenever I encounter someone who offers to help, even if it's something as small as holding a door opened. My wish is that more people would step up and help one another. It may sound pollyanna-ish but I really do believe this world would be a better place if we offered to reach out and help one another more often.

Several weeks ago, when I wrote about how I had thrown my back out, someone who reads my blog regularly contacted me and asked if there was anything I needed. She said she could stop at the store on her way home from work if I needed any groceries. While I didn't need anything at the time, I was so touched by her offer, it made my heart well with gratitude. There are a lot of people out there with good hearts. I am fortunate that I know so many of them . . . quite a few of them are my clients, which makes me feel extra blessed. I have decided to be grateful for all the kind people I DO know, instead of focusing on how I felt at the park the other day when everyone disappeared.

Additionally, Lucky had reminded me that we need to stay strong and that we can persevere, even on the days when we might be leaning towards giving up. She is showing me when the trait of "willfulness" can be a positive and reminding me that she and I are strong enough to get through anything, no matter how challenging it may seem at the time. I feel light and happy when she barks at me for something, because she is reminding me that she is still here and that there is a life she still wants to have.

Today, Lucky got another bath. Yes, I am still carrying on the odd ritual of making sure she is clean, just in case. (and yes, I am still wearing good, clean underwear every day too!) We had fun being outside, enjoying the sunshine and the fresh air. And Lucky was thrilled when we got to the part where I dry her head with the towel.

Since we got back home, she has "requested" that I help her move to a different location at least 12 times already and I suspect there will be many more of these "requests" before the night is over but I am helping her move with a smile on my face and a swell of gratitude in my heart. My girl is not giving up. Regardless of all of her health challenges, she is still determined to be active. She is showing me that she is alive and wanting to do what she wants to do.

As I am typing this, I am wondering if Lucky isn't also trying to show me that sometimes you have to ASK for help. Hmm . . . not something I am really good at . . . but maybe that's another lesson for me. Maybe I need to be more willing to ask for help. I'll ponder that this evening, as it might be the lesson she is currently trying to teach me with her frequent "requests."

Creating resistance . . . or not

As it has been quite often lately, it was another week filled with highs and lows for Lucky and I. Regardless of the difficulty of our journey at times, I continue to feel grateful because 1) Lucky is still here and 2) my dear sweet girl is still doing her best to educate me.

The "as short as I can tell it" version of the story is, one of Lucky's pressure sores was pretty bad, so I had been letting her lay with that side up more often, hoping it would have a better chance to heal. When I discovered that the pressure sore on the other side was now getting worse, I began trying to get her to spend equal time laying on the other side, but Lucky didn't agree with my plan. Every time I put her on her right side she would get fidgety and fussy and then start barking at me and barking at me until I put her back on her left side.

When I began smelling that funky smell that told me her pressure sore was getting infected, I was even more determine to get her to lay on her right side. And the more determined I was, it seemed the more determined she was to fight me on it. For those of you who know Lucky and I, you know our shared traits of stubbornness and strong wills often causes us problems and this was no exception.

I kept explaining to her why laying on both sides was so important. I told her I didn't want the other pressure sore to keep getting worse, I pointed out that she was developing edema in one of her legs because she was always laying on one side. It wasn't making a difference. She continued to fight me on the issue.

After having a vet come to see her and getting an antibiotic to help clear up the infection, I was even more concerned. He told me that fluid was starting to build up in her left lung, since she was laying on that side all the time, and that if she continued to only lay on her left side, it was just going to keep getting worse. He told me she would probably pass away from fluid collecting in her lungs. It really scared me.

I realized that pushing my desire on her wasn't getting us anywhere, as it seemed the more I pushed, the more she resisted but I also didn't want to see her lung fill with fluid if there was a way we could prevent it. I was getting so tired of the test of wills we went through every time I tried to get her to switch sides. I was feeling so frustrated . . . how could she keep refusing to do what I KNEW was the right thing for her?? and why wasn't she listening to me when I kept explaining why laying on her right side was so important??

Finally out of exasperation, I told her that she could do whatever she wanted. I explained that if she continued to only lay on her left side, her lung was going to keep filling with fluid and that she would probably pass away more quickly as a result. I also told her that if that was what she wanted, I would support her in that. I told her I wasn't going to push anymore, that it was her choice.

As soon as I finished having my "talk" with her, I felt a feeling of calm come over me. I felt at peace about it and something told me that this was the right thing to do. This was her body after all, and her life. Besides, I didn't want our final days to be ones that were filled with power struggles so I knew I needed to just back off and let her decide what she wanted to do. The rest of the day, I felt more peaceful and more calm than I had been in a while.

Much to my amazement, that night, she willingly laid on her right side. I thought it was a fluke at first but later on, after laying on her left side for a while, she willingly laid on her right side again. This all started on Wednesday, and here it is now, Sunday afternoon and she is still willing to spend equal time laying on both sides.

This "lesson" that Lucky gave me is not something that is new to me. In my years as a Corporate Trainer and Management Coach, I taught this concept all the time . . . about the ways that we create resistance (pushing and not listening) and the ways to reduce resistance (empower the other person and get them to help solve the problem). I helped people notice the signs that they were creating resistance, I gave them tools to eliminate the resistance they had created. Why wasn't I remembering the stuff that I had taught for years? I suspect that I didn't think this qualified, since I was in "mom-mode," sure that I had the right answer and that she would be alright if she would just listen to me.

It was a big shift for me to step back and stop trying to push what I wanted on her. I suspect part of her plan was to get me to remember what I used to teach and re-learn the lesson that when we push too much, we rarely get what we want.

What I was doing NOW was empowering Lucky to take some ownership for her health. I was no longer saying "I need you to do this because it's what I want you to do" . . . I was telling her that she could decide what she wanted to do. I sense that she felt respected and that she appreciated it. I think she was also relieved that I finally got what she was trying to show me.

I always say that I believe animals come into our lives to teach us and help us grow and that when an animal is hanging on as Lucky has been, it is because they don't feel their "work" here is done yet. For all the joking I do about Lucky and I being stubborn and willful, I think she didn't want to leave until I took another look at my stubborn, willful ways . . . and to get reacquainted with when it is a positive trait and when it is a trait that is working against me.

So, I got re-educated this week and it feels good to not be creating resistance. :-) I am pleased that Lucky decided on her own to start laying on her right side, but I also know that I would have been OK if she chose not to. The feeling of peace that came over me when I told her it was up to her is a feeling I won't forget. It was as if every cell in my body was saying, "Yes!" And I know that if she suddenly decides she doesn't want to lay on her right side anymore, I will accept it because it really does feel right to let the decision be hers.

On an unrelated note, Lucky and I were at the park this week and we ran into some little girls that she has been friends with for 5-6 years. They were thrilled to see her and it was obvious that Lucky felt the same.

At one point, they picked flowers to put in Lucky's "hair" - it is something they have done before, but for some reason, it touched me even more when they did it this time. They were so excited about the flowers and kept telling Lucky how beautiful she looked. When other kids came over to say hi to Lucky, they would say "Does she look beautiful?" It was just too cute.

I didn't have my camera with me that day, so I promised the girls I would take some pictures of Lucky with the flowers in her hair when we got home.

I think the thing that has always touched me was that the kids Lucky knows from the park have always treated her like she was one of the kids, instead of a dog.

The way they talk to her, include her in what they are doing, the way they invite her to their birthday parties, etc. I think I look forward to our trips to the park as much as Lucky does, and it is probably one of the things I will miss the most when she is gone . . . so I am doing my best to embrace the joy we experience each time we're at the park.

And I am also doing my best to remember that if she is as intelligent and insightful as I keep saying she is, I should always treat her that way. I shouldn't assume that "I know better" just because I am the human because I have a feeling Lucky knows a whole lot more than I do and understands things that I can only hope to one day understand.

I don't know if I have learned everything I am supposed to learn from Lucky yet. Part of me hopes that I haven't, so she'll have a reason to stick around longer . . . and part of me hopes that I have, because I want to be a good 'student' and make sure she fulfilled what she came here to do. I know she has worked hard to get me to where I am now and she deserves some peace. I'm just not sure I am ever going to be ready to say goodbye to her but I am committed to doing my best to pay attention to whatever else she is trying to teach me, so she can complete her work here on earth with me.

The Circle of Life

Since Lucky's back legs stopped working, I have worried that she will feel frustrated that she can't move around like she used to or worse yet, feel helpless. As a way of avoiding that, I made a promise to her that I would help her any time she needed help. I kept telling her, "All you have to do is bark at me and I'll come help you." It was a big deal for her to allow me to help, as she has always been "Miss Independent" and never wanted help unless it was absolutely necessary, so it warmed my heart the first couple of times she barked at me and asked for assistance.

This week, she has been more vocal than ever before and it has been nearly impossible to get anything done. I swear, not a half an hour has gone by when I hear her bark again and I'm dropping what I am doing to see what she needs. I'm never one to back down from a promise, but I'll confess, I have had moments this week where I wondered if she wasn't just playing a joke on me. I find myself laughing as I am walking over to her saying, "What do you need now angel?" "Do you just want to see if I'll really respond every time you bark?"

She has wanted to move to various places in the house so frequently, I can barely return one email before I am beckoned again. She wants to move into my bedroom, then she wants to be by the couch, then she wants to be in the hall, then she wants to be back in my bedroom but on a different bed in there. Sometimes she wants water and sometimes she has to go outside to go potty and sometimes I have absolutely no idea what she wants. I try to focus on how blessed I am that she is still here and that she WANTS to move around. I know it wouldn't be a good thing if she didn't have any interest in moving at all, so I am trying to be as enthusiastic as I can each time she calls on me.

Sometimes, I feel like the mother of a newborn. I saw my friends when they became parents, rushing to get things done when their baby went down for a nap and I often feel the same way when Lucky finally takes a little nap. I think to myself, "Should I jump in the shower? Should I try to return a couple of phone calls or return a few emails?"

I've realized that in many ways, the end of an animal's life is very much like the beginning. In the beginning, they need our constant care and attention, then they become more independent, and in the end, they once again need our constant care and attention. In the beginning, there are lots of potty accidents, then many years where there are none, and in the end, we're back to potty accidents again. It has made me think a lot about the circle of life.

Recently, when one of my clients lost her animal to old age, she was struck by some of the similarities between birth and death. Her insights were thought provoking and I have been thinking about it a lot since she shared her observations with me. She pointed out that when some babies are born, they arrive quickly without much fuss and other babies have a difficult time coming into the world, whether it is prolonged labor for their moms or emergency C-sections. She also observed through the passing of many beloved pets over the years that some pass quickly and quietly in their sleep, while others seem to struggle with passing, often needing assistance from a veterinarian to make their transition. She wondered if there was any correlation between how we come into the world and how we go out. I didn't have an answer for her but it has certainly made me think.

I don't have any data at this point to support any theories one way or another. I mostly have questions. I've been wondering . . . If you come into the world easily, does that mean you pass easily? or do we have one of each experience? (Come in easy, have more difficulty going out? or Have difficulty coming in, so you get to go out easily?) My own birth was apparently not easy. According to my mom, not only was I breach, I put her through hours and hours of hard labor and she missed a great 4th of July party because she was still in the hospital with me. :-) Oh and I think the A/C was broken at the hospital where I was born, in the middle of a humid Massachusetts summer, so it was a pretty rough ride any way you looked at it.

I'd like to think that since I had a hard time arriving, maybe I'll have an easier time on the way out but there's always a chance that if you have a hard time coming in, you'll have a hard time going out, as if it's something you signed up for before you arrived.

And I think about Lucky . . . not knowing what her birth was like, I have no way of predicting how she'll go out, even if I did have some solid data backed theories to lean on. I hope every day that she has an easy time. I think she struggled enough in the first 6 months of her life with all the wretched abuse she endured that she should be absolved of any further suffering. I don't know if my request will be granted, but I keep asking for her passing to be an easy one.

About the only time Lucky isn't barking at me for assistance is when we are in the car, at the park or at water therapy, so I am enjoying those aspects of our schedule with even more enthusiasm than before. :-)

I had been taking Lucky out for wagon rides around the neighborhood, but I realized that she really missed the park we used to go to all the time and she missed seeing all the children. I decided this week to start taking her for wagon rides at the park. The wagon fits perfectly in the back of my car and Lucky has seemed very happy to be at the park again, getting showered with attention from the children she knows and the new ones she is meeting each time we go. Here she is today at the park. I swear, she looked MUCH happier before I pulled out the camera. There were two ladies standing there when I pulled my camera out of my bag and they both witnessed the change in Lucky's demeanor once she saw the camera. So, I put the camera back in my bag so she could keep enjoying herself. :-)

It was interesting that last week I wrote about how I needed to come up with a short, positive, honest response to have handy when people asked "What's wrong with your dog?" and one of my clients was kind enough to give me a suggestion on what I could say, so when we went to the park today, I was all ready to try it out . . . and I never got the chance. Instead of "What's wrong with your dog?" people said things like "What a lucky dog!" and "My dog would love that!" and "She sure looks happy." The only question we were asked was, "Did your dog just have surgery?" and it was easy to answer that one honestly and briefly. :-)

It's not the first time I have witnessed this phenomenon. It seems that when we finally figure out how to respond to a difficult question, we don't get asked the question anymore, or when we figure out how to handle a difficult personality type, we no longer encounter people with those personality traits. It is as if what the Universe really wanted was for us to be prepared and that was the end of the lesson. :-)

Anyway, back to this concept of the circle of life . . . I know that in whatever time I have left with Lucky, I am going to try to see the joy in how similar the end of life is to the beginning. I am going to embrace the lack of sleep the same way I did when she was a puppy, and I am going to enjoy sleeping on the floor next to her when she is restless, just like I did when she was a puppy. And I am going to go to her every time she barks because I want her to know that she is just as important to me today as she was when she was a puppy, maybe even more so because of all we have shared and the way we have grown as a result of our being together.

On a side note, I discovered that the one addition to Lucky's breakfast and dinner that guarantees she'll eat it every last morsel is baby food. After months of "creative cooking" that wasn't always successful, I finally discovered that one tablespoon of Gerber's "Lasagna with meat sauce" baby food mixed in with her kibble is all it takes to make her a satisfied customer at meal time. While Lucky didn't eat baby food when she was a puppy, I find it interesting that it is what she seems to like so much now.

Whether your animal is in the beginning stage of life, the middle stage or the final stage, I hope you are enjoying every moment of it and if you haven't done so already today, I hope you will hug your animals and let them know how grateful you are that they are in your life.

Riding out the ups and downs

It was another week of high points and low points for Lucky and I and yet I suspect it's one of the things I am supposed to be learning from this part our journey together. I've noticed that I am "rolling with it" a whole lot better than I used to, not getting as unraveled during the low points as I have in the past, accepting that whatever is going on is just that, it is what it is and the only choice I have is to just deal with it . . . hopefully with a smile on my face. I've decided that if we're going through these ups and downs so that I can learn how to deal with them better, then I'll embrace this part of the journey even more.

Our big low point this week was the rapid onset of pressure sores on Lucky's hips and then an even more rapid increase in their severity. It was difficult for me to accept at first, given that I had done everything "right" to try to prevent them, making sure she was never laying on one side for too long, massaging her legs to enhance circulation, giving her daily Reiki treatments, etc. I had a few moments of feeling like I had failed her and was frustrated that even though I had done everything "right" she still ended up with pressure sores. Fortunately, I was able to remind myself that putting my energy on beating myself up and lamenting what had happened wasn't going to make either of us feel better so I went back to putting my energy into just dealing with it.

I started trying to find ways to create a 'donut pillow" with towels so her sores weren't touching the bed or blanket she was laying on. It was a lot of hit and miss . . . if the towel was too high, it hurt her back, if the towel was too low, her sore was still touching the ground. We finally found the right level, but every time she changed positions, we were back to trying to refluff the towel to just the right level. Then a wonderful friend of mine gave me a foam pad to cut up. (gee, why didn't I think of that?) After some comical tries with scissors and exacto knives and various other household implements, I was finally able to get a hole cut in the center and get it the right size. She also found a product for me to try called Wound Honey that I am putting on her sores. The downside is that she really seems to enjoy the taste of the Wound Honey, so I am having to wrap her lower body in a towel after I put it on, so she doesn't lick it all off but I am hopeful that it will help her wounds heal. At this point, the pressure sores aren't gone but at least we've got a system in place to make it easier to deal with them and hopefully we'll start to see some improvement in their healing.

On the positive side, another wonderful friend of mine borrowed a wagon from some friends of his, so that Lucky could go on some wagon rides. He had offered his own son's wagon to us a while back but it was too short for Lucky's body. I was ready to give up on the wagon idea, but fortunately for Lucky and I, he wasn't deterred. He found a bigger wagon and brought it over to us to try. I wasn't sure how Lucky was going to feel about it, but two minutes into our first wagon ride, it was obvious that it was a fantastic idea. We are both grateful for his persistence.

Lucky looked so happy as we cruised through our neighborhood. She was looking all around, taking in the sights and smells. I swear, she literally smiles when we are out on our wagon rides although you wouldn't know it from this picture. It seems that when I pull the camera out, she loses the smile and instead gives me the look that says "Oh geez, would you put that camera away? I'm so tired of having my picture taken!" I have promised her that I will leave the camera at home from now on and just focus on the fun of cruising around the neighborhood.

I will confess, at first I wasn't enjoying the wagon rides as much as Lucky was. I would cringe when we would encounter someone out on our walks because I was getting tired of responding to the question, "What's wrong with your dog?" I wanted to say "There is nothing wrong with her, she is perfect!" but instead, I would go into the diatribe of "Well, she has hip dysplasia and compressed disks in her spine and she has cancer and she is fourteen years old, blah, blah, blah," and I was getting tired of explaining all of that. I have this problem of not being able to answer a question in any other way than honestly and I also this unbending desire to focus on the positive instead of the negative. I don't want to create any pity for us either. We're doing pretty darn well, all things considered, so I am working on a response that will work (that is positive and honest). After all, I want to remain motivated to take her out for these wagon rides.

Here is a picture I took of Lucky today, after she had another bath. She didn't use to like getting baths very much, but lately, she hasn't seemed to mind at all. It has actually been almost fun. It allows us the opportunity to just do something together that isn't physically taxing, so there's no swearing involved. :-) and we get to be outside in the sunshine, which we both enjoy very much. And of course, it involves Lucky's favorite thing, which is being toweled off, especially when I am drying her head. She makes these sweet groaning sounds when I rub her ears and she rolls around and rubs her head on the grass like it's the most pleasurable experience in the world.

I keep thinking that Lucky is going to leave me soon and I think her more frequent baths lately have had something to do with that. I am almost embarrassed to admit this but I really want her to be clean when she passes. I don't know if it's a fear of being judged by the people who will handle her cremation when she goes, although I can't imagine they would take the time to make comments to one another about the terrible guardian who let her dog get so dirty.

Maybe it has something to do with the concept my mother drilled into my head when I was growing up that you should always wear good, clean underwear in case you get in an accident. I never understood it, because I couldn't imagine someone being rushed to the emergency room and the doctors saying "Oh, we don't have to try very hard to save this person's life because they're not wearing clean underwear" and yet, somehow, that message stuck in my brain. What is the purpose of making sure you are wearing good, clean underwear in case you are in an accident? Is it a parent's fear that they'll be judged as a "bad parent"? That must be what got stuck in my brain because I have noticed I am much more focused on making sure Lucky is clean lately.

Fortunately, she is enjoying the baths, so apparently she doesn't mind going along with this odd ritual and I'm still making sure I don't wear underwear with any rips or holes because I guess you just never know when that will make a difference. :-)

On another topic, our water therapist gave me a questionnaire that she got this week from a vet that her animals is seeing. It's a "quality of life" assessment and she thought I would be interested in seeing it, as it is something she and I have been discussing lately. (Her Shepherd is 13 and having a lot of health issues as well). The first question was "How many pleasures does your pet currently have in his life?" and "How many pleasures did your pet have in his life when he was feeling his best physically and emotionally?" and I realized that while the "pleasures" Lucky has experienced in the past may not be the same as they are now, she still have a lot of pleasure (wagon rides, car rides, water therapy, sharing food with me, seeing kids she knows, etc).

Another one of the questions was "How willing would you be to take on the life your pet is now living?" At first, I wasn't sure how to answer that question but after a few minutes of contemplation, I decided that I would be willing to take on her life if I had someone taking care of me like she does. It may sound like I am being full of myself but in my heart, I know it's the truth. It made me feel a lot better about the job I am doing of taking care of her, because from time to time, I can be hard on myself about that.

Ultimately, after going through the questionnaire, I feel pretty confident that from a quality of life standpoint, Lucky is still happy to be here. Not that I was really questioning it, but it was nice to get some additional confirmation. I am not in a rush to help her move on and at the same time, I am doing my best to embrace the truth that she will be moving on soon.

Until then, I will hopefully ride out the ups and downs with as much grace and ease as possible, and continue to do my best to stay present and enjoy the ride.

Honoring Bood

I talk a lot in my blog about how it can help our grieving process if we honor an animal's life, instead of focusing on their death, so with that in mind, I am doing a extra blog entry this week to honor the life of a very special cat who passed away yesterday. I am hoping that by writing about her life and her beautiful spirit, that it will help with the grief I am experiencing myself over her passing. I miss this sweet girl as much as I would if she were my own. There was something very special about her and I will hold a place in my heart for her forever.

Bood was a client of mine for over a year and a half. She graced the world with her presence for 18 years and had been living an incredibly good life, in spite of a cancer diagnosis a year and a half ago. She was one of most precious cats I have ever known.

We called her the Reiki Sponge because she was the first animal I ever met who just couldn't seem to get enough Reiki. She would soak it up and soak it up and almost look disappointed when the treatment was over. She was also very clear about where she wanted my hands and throughout the treatment, she would move around in my lap, laying on one side, then the other side, moving forwards and backwards, as if to say "Ok, I want some Reiki here now." The room where she always received her Reiki treatments at her guardian's house was dubbed the "Reiki room" and Bood would often go in there an hour before I even arrived at her house, as if she was saying, "Ok, I'm ready whenever she gets here!"

I used to affectionately tease her over the fact that I thought she had many "dog" qualities, i.e. she used to make this sweet groaning sound when she stretched that is similar to what dogs often do. She was also incredibly affectionate. While some cats aren't too interested in being touched for too long, she was a love-bug and would sit in your lap for hours.

She possessed a depth and a wisdom that made me believe she was a very old soul. I often felt very humbled in her presence, as I sensed she understood things that even I have yet to understand. She was very independent and proud and determined. She didn't want to be helped, even when she was struggling to get around in her final weeks.

In the last few months, she had often not been making it to the litter box. Her mom put some pee-pads down, thinking that maybe it was just too difficult for her to step into a litter box. It hadn't helped much and yet, in her final days, even when she was barely able to walk, she somehow managed to get herself over to the pee-pads every single time. Her mom was curious about that, so I asked Bood the last night I was with her and she told me that she wanted to leave her mom with a good memory, she wanted her mom to remember that she always tried to do the right thing. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing when she told me that. It was so symbolic of who she was.

In the days leading up to her passing, her mom and I were in touch a lot, as it is such a difficult time when you know the end is coming and you are filled with everything from dread to sadness to fear, etc. I didn't want her to feel alone with it. We had expected Bood to pass several days earlier but she just wasn't ready to go yet. As I wrote about in my last entry, I believe animals come into our lives to fulfill a purpose and only they know when they have completed their mission here on earth. Bood obviously had a few more things to wrap up before she was ready to go, so she hung in there until early Monday morning.

Through our conversations, her mom tearfully recounted all the positive ways Bood had impacted her life and the members of her family. It was impossible not to be in awe of what this precious little cat had been able to accomplish in her 18 years. Understandably, her mom was overwhelmed with gratitude when she looked at all the ways Bood had impacted their lives and changed things for the better . . . and just hearing about the things Bood had been instrumental in making happen made my own heart swelled with gratitude.

While I feel a great loss from her passing, I trust that her work here on earth was done, and she knew it was alright for her to go. I am sure that she will continue to watch over her mom and make sure that she is ok. Their bond was incredibly strong and beautiful and I don't believe that death can sever that bond.

I will never forget Bood. It was an honor and a joy to work with her and I will always hold a very special place in my heart for her.