About ten years ago an Aunt of mine came to live with me for the rest of her life. Her husband, my Uncle had died of cancer a few months earlier and she had no one to care for her. Could she stay with me?
So I told her yes. The only problem was that she had a dog, a little yappy Chihuahua. She wondered if she could bring the dog along with her. Because she was my mother’s favorite sister I relented. Now she and the dog were both with me.
My Aunt, poor thing, only lasted another three months before she passed on. And before she died she made me promise I’d take care of the dog as long as it lived. I agreed.
However, I felt bad because the dog was at the house all day alone. So in the spirit of kindliness I bought another Chihuahua to keep my Aunt’s dog company. And it worked out fine.
But then one night my Aunt’s dog disappeared and here I was stuck with the companion dog.
So what did I do? Well I went and bought another Chihuahua to keep the companion dog company. And it all worked out fine for some time. We had a great routine around the house and the dogs even began liking each other – and my new wife – more than they cared for me. So for a year or so things went great.
Then the companion dog got sick with diabetes. So now, twice daily, I’m injecting the dog with insulin and giving it other medicine on schedule. But I guess there are lessons in everything. Because the dog not only has diabetes – it’s also going blind.
And the lesson I’ve learning is that the dog doesn’t complain. I’m not even sure it knows what blindness is. And, after I feed him he takes his usual nap and then plays with the other dog. And that’s what they do all day. Of course the one that’s going blind is a little more careful so it doesn’t run into things.
But, unlike humans, the dog never whines about the injustice of life. It never whines about “poor me.” Or gives any indication that he feels sorry for himself.
Maybe that’s not the way animals are built, but I know that this dog handles setbacks and pain better than most humans. And that’s a lesson that many of us could put to good use.
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