Wednesday, October 26, 2011

It is cliche - but it is still true....

Life is short....

A very good friend found out that she was seriously sick two weeks ago. She died two days ago.  Given her personality, it is no surprise to find that she left specific instructions about how she wanted her death handled. It is the way she lived her life - quality was everything. Even when you are very good, there is still room to be better if you think about it hard enough. We had a lot in common in that respect. Some people admire that trait; others cannot seem to understand that level of passion towards an endeavor.

Words that have been used to describe her include: creative, driven and altruistic.  The last seems like an understatement when used in reference to this person....

In one of our long philosophical conversations about dogs, when we were talking about what we would have done different or figured out sooner regarding our past beloved dogs (with each of us pretending that the other was not tearing up), she told me about a quote in a book "Eminent Dogs Dangerous Men". The author makes an expedition to Scotland to purchase the perfect border collie. In his travels the author has a conversation with a shepherd/dog trainer and is told "You can't be a dog trainer until you have some regrets." She later loaned me this book, it was set aside to be returned but managed to make the trip with me to MS instead. I pulled it out last night, remembering the quote, and I noticed she had highlighted a portion of that conversation in the book:

"I sometimes think....when I'm on my deathbed....they'll come back. All the dogs I've trained will come filing by..."

I sure hope they did - that must have been a very very long line of extremely happy dogs......


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