by Sue Hodgson –
As I celebrated my birthday last month; I asked myself how did I get to 56? I know my birth certificate makes it official, but I don’t feel it! Well, maybe here and there when I still think I can see without my reading glasses or forget the most simple matters; when my two children laugh at sayings they have never heard before, or the new saying they use that I’m completely lost at! I know it’s only a number but it’s getting close to 60, and I’m not really sure what I think about that.
Those that really know me, know I’m a little – what some of my close friends say – “good crazy.” Yes, I like to have fun and I love to laugh and make those around me happy. Will that go away as I age? Will I fall into a vortex of negativity and forget all that is good? I just picked up An Immense World by Ed Young at Tanner’s Books. It’s all about how animal senses reveal the hidden realms around us and it got me thinking.
The end of aging is of course the same for dogs and us: dogs just get there more quickly. This is one thing that makes the dog a good model for human aging and mortality. As dogs age faster than people, we can study their process of aging and apply it to people, even within our own lifespan. It’s fascinating really! What is a benefit for science is a great sadness for dog lovers though: dogs die too soon.
Words of poetry can remind us what it is about dogs that makes us face the shortness of their lives while at the same time reminding us that we MUST celebrate every day that we have! So, at 56, I’m really only eight in dog years – I’m doing pretty good!
Joyful, joyful, joyful,
As only dogs know how to be happy
With only the autonomy
Of their shameless spirit
~ Pablo Neruda
Seaside Sue
Photo by Janis Jean Photography. Clothing provided and styled by Butik Naturals. For more, visit #103 – 2506 Beacon Avenue in Sidney
