On October 7th we celebrated a big milestone in Campy's incredible life. He turned 16 years old.
As we enter the final chapter of his life, our daily routine revolves around caring for him - and we wouldn't want it any other way. Campy has given us so much unconditional love, laughter and joy and it is our pleasure to make sure he is living comfortably in his golden years.
Throughout Campy's life, we always told him that "today is another lottery winning day." We always felt like Campy loved life and we wanted to make sure he was living every day to the fullest. During his younger years, he had a lot of energy. We took him everywhere. He loved new adventures, new places and new experiences. Campy was living his best life from a very early age. We took advantage of his love for travel, nature and being with us.
Campy doesnt have the energy that he used to have. His eyes are cloudy, he doesn't hear well and he is always in a diaper. His golden fur has turned white. Outside adventures in new places are scary because he doesn't see or hear his surroundings. He has become extremely picky with food and he struggles with symptoms of dementia on a daily basis. He used to be so spunky, energetic and opinionated but now he sleeps a lot. It's been really hard to see him slow down but I'm so thankful that he still loves to go on walks around our neighborhood. Now that Campy is in his "retirement" life, he can rest as much as he needs. I'd like to think that he has lots of memories of a life well-lived.
For most humans, retirment is viewed as the time to start enjoying life. It's the time when you can finally check things off your bucket list, take the vacations you always dreamed of and focus more on self-care, friends, family and hobbies. It's the time in your life that you can finally do the things you have always wanted to do and start enjoying life.
Unfortunantely, it doesn't always work out that way. We all know someone who waited too long to start enjoying life and due to an accident/cancer/health issue, they didn't see tomorrow.
Tomorrow is never promised. All we can guarantee is today.
Since the day we adopted Campy, he taught us to live in the present moment. Even though I'm still trying to fill up Campy's memory book of life, I'm so thankful that we didn't wait to "live." I look back at all the trips, adventures and memories that we had together when he was younger. We never took a day for granted.
I encourage you to do the same. Don't wait to live a more fulfilled and meaningful life. |
