First off, please join me in extending appreciation and best wishes to our veterans, and of course all of the men and women who currently serve in our armed forces. Why not commit this Nov. 11 to saying thank you to all of those people every chance you get and not just once a year, or never?
Second, if you’re someone who likes dogs, and I’m guessing that includes at least most of you regular readers, please join me also in wishing a happy 10th birthday to my Australian shepherd, Jewel.
I’ve told a couple people that it would be sort of cool if she were turning 11 on 11/11/11, but I’m glad she’s 10 and not 11 simply because it would mean she’s a year older, and dogs already don’t live nearly long enough.
I try not to think about the fact that at age 10 — as was the case at age 9 and 8 likely even 7 — Jewel is closer to the end than to the beginning; it’s too depressing, and that serves only to impoverish the present with negative thoughts of the future. I’m really, really going to miss her when she’s gone, in part because she’s been my running/hiking companion over literally thousands of miles; we also spend a lot of time just sort of chilling out and drinking beer — I do most of the drinking, incidentally.
Anyway, rather than look ahead, I just try to enjoy her as much as I can each day, just like she enjoys me, and life in general, every day.
Happy birthday, Jewel.
And if anyone wants to read more about her, here’s what I wrote on her ninth birthday.
