Aging

I did hit 52 last Sunday and I do feel the ravages of 52 years walking on these knees. I see my skin getting different colors and losing it's elasticity. But mostly it is about the dog.

Poor Sammie, being of the canine influence, is aging much faster than I. Once she started having white hairs around her face, t just got more and more pronounced. Of course dyeing is not an option and truthfully she is just not that vain! But as I rose at 6a on a Saturday morning after a fitful night, she lie there sound asleep. She has lost a lot of her hearing so that helps her sleep so well but I even turned on the light in this dark fall weather. Still nothing.

She is not as limber either and she has the hack/gag thing going on as well. My friend, Melissa, said her dog does the same thing. Her dog, Boo, just turned 14. Sam will turn 14 in January. We are steeling ourselves for the inevitable and while Melissa and her husband are already planning for a transitional dog, I am planning for a full on care giving break.

Sammie has meant so much to me over the years and we have developed a great relationship. I don't believe that you can just go out and replace this individual. Although Sam IS a dog, she has many personality traits that make her a special companion, a match for me as her "owner".

Unlike some people I have known over the years, I hope I will be able to recognize the time when Sammie should be released from this world, if she does not simply slip away in the night. The first thing I do when I wake up is to look over and see if she is still breathing because she does often sleep so deeply. The unconditional love she has given me through the years has so enriched my life. I never quite understand people who do not like animals, don't really trust or like them either. Even if a human does not chose to have a pet, dislike of an animal is a red flag for me in regards to character.