Lessons Learned from the loss of a Friend
My friend(Nick) of almost 13 years had to be put to sleep on July 22nd, 2016. Yes my friend is a Chocolate Lab. I am mourning his loss as he had been with me through a lot of changes in my life. His history has been mine as well. The picture attached to this blog is of him during an Acupuncture treatment for his legs when they had begun to fail. I know not the best picture of him but he was so happy laying there with his tongue all hanging out.
Nick was born on Valentines Day 2004 and several weeks later my father and I drove to Savannah, Georgia to pick him up. We did a 16 hour round trip where Nick sat in my lap the entire way back. That was the last time he could sit in my lap as he ultimately weighed 98 pounds. My mother, Amber, and my two daughters were waiting up when we returned from Savannah late that night to meet Nick. The girls were outside wearing all their night time bling, like only young girls can do, to greet him and then proceeded to pet the hair off of him. My daughters are grown and in college now and both my parents along with two close friends that Nick and I used to hunt with have passed away. Nick was a a constant reminder of those individuals that had been in my life and with his passing I mourn once again the loss of my parents and my two buddies.
I remember lots of little things that should have been forgotten due to the insignificance of such things. Little things like the time I accidentally locked Nick in my office on a Saturday and before I could get back into the office Nick had ripped down all the window blinds or the time in Florida he decided to do a walk about and a group of girls had picked him up in their car and he was riding in the back seat licking a snow cone. Matter of fact, Nick used to hunt so hard that on hot September days I had to force him into the truck with the Air conditioner on high to save him from having a heat stroke all the while he did the dog version of pouting because I pulled him from the field. We would always split a Mighty Meaty pizza slice or two from the Flying J truck stop on our way down to the farm. He often conned me out of the bigger piece. Heck he even ate a whole Harry and David Chocolate Cheese Cake that Fed Ex had dropped off as a Christmas gift. Amber and I were in a complete panic because of the concerns with him eating all that Chocolate and of course it did not effect him at all. He would swim in the pool with the girls but the way he swam he would almost drown the girls and I could go on and on..
However, I realize all of this these things remembered are only significant to me as is often the case of experiences shared between two close friends that were rarely apart. Nick did give me several life lessons based on how he acted. Nick never had a bad day, not even the day I carried him out of flooded timber after he cut his paw terribly on some hidden barb wire. He always greeted me when I returned from work with a level of excitement so few of us display when we meet friends. Tail wagging and hopping all around even when he had became completely crippled. My mood swings never changed his disposition towards me. He still kept the same positive attitude. Nick never judged me even when I had made a series of poor life decisions. Nick would pursue his passion without any regard for himself. No ball ever got tossed too far or dummy hidden too well that he could not retrieve them. Nick provided complete friendship and joy and what did he ask in return? Fresh water and a couple of bowls of dry dog food, maybe even an occasional rub on the belly. Nick gave so much more than what he ever expected in return, and yes he was just a dog, but we can all learn from how he acted. That in fact we could be more passionate about the things we do and certainly give more to friends and family than we ever expect to get in return, and just maybe wag our tail a little doing it.
Vaya Con Dios my friend. I miss you so much…
