Deep Thoughts

As I’ve been piddling around catching up and keeping up with stuff and helping Penny with her projects I’ve been listening to podcasts of Fresh Air, Car Talk, Science Friday, Things you should know and a few others. (There’s even a podcast to learn Italian.). Fresh Air did an end of the year show with their favorite interviews. It was interesting because one interview was with an animal surgeon who could not communicate to the animals why they were going through a procedure and that it was for their good. Another interview was with the researcher who taught a parrot to communicate with her. I found the contrast interesting.


The animal surgeon, Nick Trout, was very aware of the emotional attachment people have with their pets. Veterinary medicine has advanced to the point where every procedure, treatment and diagnostic tool that is available for people is available for pets. The limitation is not the procedure but the cost.

Although euthanasia is not widely accepted for humans it is still accepted for pets. He’s learned the hard way that he must thoroughly prepare people when their pet is euthanised. People are surprised at how quick and painless the procedure can be. Nonetheless he has to warn them that dogs may take a last deep breath, sort of a final sigh, when they pass on. They may paddle or lose control of bodily functions. When our dog, Annie, died she took that final breath. I was holding her and actually told her she was a good dog and that it was all right for her to go. She took that last breath and died.

Dr Trout went on to discuss how many people are as close to pets as to their children. He didn’t find any problem with that. He talked about one man who changed his middle name to his pet’s so that that name would be on his gravestone. Another woman was horribly allergic to her pet yet she endured twice-weekly injections and an inhaler because she sleeps in the same bed and even shares a pillow with it.

He said that people knowingly embrace their pets with all that love and commitment fully knowing that they would probably have to let them go and live without them. Children should outlive their parents but that’s not he way it is with pets. I often wonder why God does things in this manner. Dr Trout talked about one woman who just got a dog but still lives with the anticipatory grief every day, knowing that she will have to cope with losing the animal even though that event may be 17 years in the future. I can identify with that woman. That thought is always in the back of my mind with Brie.


On a less somber note Penny found a sweepstakes for the movie The Reader where you submit a short love story to enter.

http://www.cnnpromos.com/TheReader/register.aspx

After reading the rules I found that they don’t really judge the story by content so anything would work as an entry. They just draw at random to determine a winner. So I wrote a love story and entered. The story had to be very short to fit their criteria. Here is my love story:

I was alone. I didn’t know love. She came into my life 39 years ago. She would greet me after class with a big smile and a lollipop. She gave me a teddy bear on my 21st birthday. Through her child-like approach I learned the essence of unconditional love. We married 35 years ago, raised 2 daughters and now are empty nesters. We love being together. She made me promise not to die first because she doesn’t want to live without me. I cherish every day we have together. I’ll try to keep my promise although I can’t imagine my life without her in it. I don’t want to be alone again. But now I do know true love.

So those are my deep thoughts for today. Cherish your partners and your pets. You never know …