Learning through loss

You may have noticed that the blog posts haven’t been so consistent lately. August has been quite a month. Not only has it signaled the end of summer, it’s also meant that my parents and I survived a 10-day Europe trip with British Airways losing our luggages for 5 days and toward the end of the trip, we had to say “good bye” to my beloved dog, Lucky. Gosh, that had to be the hardest decision we’ve had to make and to make it worse, we had to make that decision over the phone. I honestly wasn’t expecting his passing to be so sudden. To see him suffer greatly pained me deeply.

What came as a surprise was how my friends stepped up and supported our family through this hardship and grieving process. I am grateful that friends sacrificed their time to take care of my brother and my other dog, Summer. One of my best friends took my brother and Lucky to the emergency vet that night while I stood by on the phone to be with them through the whole process – 4 hours. My friends’ compassion meant a lot to me, from staying with my brother as he grieved, bringing him food, feeding Summer, bathing him, cleaning my house, etc. They didn’t have to do any of it, but they still did. They showed up during a time of high stress and overwhelm. Thank you to those who sent me messages as well. Again, I feel grateful and honored to have them as friends, really.

I’m able to accept the reality better. Of course, I miss Lucky. He was my best friend for the past 14 years. He’s taught me what it meant to be in the moment, to care for someone other than myself, to compromise, to problem solve, and to love unconditionally.

So what I’m learning now is to make space and time for grieving and take advantage of the present moment to live life to your fullest.

Whatever is important to you – spending time with family and friends, giving back to the community, self-care, meditation, exercise, creating art, traveling, etc. – go and do that. 

Start today.

Start now.

Make an action plan.

Time is of the essence.

Enjoy the present moment – the only one you have control over.