get the poor doggie her dope

[deacon]

Some days I can forget that I am not going to ever be the same again. Heck none of us really are but some days I have my nose rubbed in it. Yesterday was one of those days. My wife is a saint. She has allowed me to withdraw quietly from most of life outside my house. It is a necessary thing for my own peace of mind. That being the case my big decision is, do I have coffee or coke with lunch. Not earth shattering. I also tend to get sidetracked way more easily than I used to. Worst of all I seldom remember to go back to my original purpose. Not a big problem since nothing I do is of much importance and almost none of it effects anyone else.

Yesterday however it got hammered into me. My Dog Dixie. a really gentle lady. was limping. It was so bad that she couldn't put any weight on her paw. It took me almost all day to realize that her paw and leg were swollen. I should have noticed it first thing that morning. I didn't.

When I did notice it was after lunch. I was lost. I had no idea if I needed to take her to the vet or give her some time to fight it off herself. So I called my wife at work. We have have a new understanding these days. If I am making a foolish decision she is allowed to tell me bluntly that I'm being a jerk (cleaned up version). It seems that I have finally gotten to the point that I'm not even able to make a decision right or wrong.

It gets even more complicated now. So she says, yes we need to take her to the vet. She calls the vet, then calls me back. The vet can't take her till Monday. but they have another clinic that they own which might be able to take her.

So she give me a list of options.I can't leave work today so,
we cant take her to our vet till monday.
we can leave her monday morning.
we can take her after work on monday.
You can risk it and drive her to the second clinic now.
I can't for the life of me picture the area where the clinic is.
we can call to see if the second clinic has an appointment after work tonight

Then she says to me what do you want to do. That was the moment of truth. It was like a Chinese menu I just couldn't make a decision. I don't mean I was simply confused as to what was best. I was totally unable to make a decision. It must be how Alzheimer patients feel the first time they wander off.

I explained to her that if I knew what to do, I would not have called her. We took the dog to the vet after work last night. She got a round of antibiotics and some narcotics for the pain.

I am happy to announce that she seems to be on the mend today.

Now I am not looking for sympathy at all. I have a good life and can cope with my life as it is. This is more a warning about what can be down the road. Enjoy your life as it is now and learn to adapt to what it becomes. All of our lives change as we age. Keep doing what you can do, even if it isn't what it you want it to be. Don't stop fighting, just change the battle to something that is winable. That is our common bond, we all need to struggle and to succeed. I think that is why we build bikes.

Again this is not a search for sympathy just a little reminded to enjoy everything all the way to the end. As Jim Valvano (sp) said as he was about to die of cancer, never give up, never give up, never give up.

[Spunout]

Originally Posted by deacon

Enjoy your life as it is now and learn to adapt to what it becomes. All of our lives change as we age. Keep doing what you can do, even if it isn't what it you want it to be. Don't stop fighting, just change the battle to something that is winable. That is our common bond, we all need to struggle and to succeed. I think that is why we build bikes.

well said. very wise. and glad to hear the puppy is doing better.

[toytime]

You are so lucky to have such a level headed , understanding wife Deacon.
You may have more than you realize.
Give her a great big hug from "The Boys from Motorbicycling dot com"!