Three Life Lessons I learned from Jack
On July 18thmy four- legged Jack left us. We found out in May that he had Stage 3 Lymphoma. He was 15 ½.
I got Jack when he was just 4 months old. He was the same size as my 7.5 size foot. He was a handful as a puppy. I mean a real, real handful. There were days I didn’t think I was going to make it with him. He was stubborn and smart – a bad combination. But he was mine, my buddy, my constant and he has been through a lot with me.
When we brought him to the vet, we knew the prognosis wasn’t good. He was going to go any day now. I asked Jack what we should do; I could tell by the look in his eyes, it was time. He took a deep sigh, almost to say, “it’s time, let me go.” He had served his purpose and been my companion for the last 15 years…it was time to let go. After being grief stricken and in tears for a few weeks, we created a memorial space in our garden for him. Ginger is still having a hard time without her buddy. They were partners in crime. I still hear his tags around his neck chime at night. I still hear his alarm clock bark at 6:30am, the one I ignored often because I rarely need to be up then, he’d wait about 20 minutes, as if I hit snooze and then let out another one, as if to say, “Get out of bed, it’s time.”
So I got to thinking... here’s what I learned from my buddy Jack…
#1 Get up and take it one step at a time.
Jack came into my life at a time when I was grieving the loss of my then husband. We were married for 4 months and at 29 I found myself widowed. When I had to jump back into life, back to work, I had a hard time getting out of bed. Then I got Jack. He was a 4-month-old dog, 4.5 pounds. He was energetic, bouncing all over the place and getting into everything. I knew if I did not get out of bed each day – I would not be setting him up for success. So I did it. And I watched him learn how to go up and down the stairs. It took him several months, being so small. But he did it and he did it on his own time. He did it one step at a time. He literally would try one step and when he accomplished it, he would go down and cry for me to take him the rest of the way. Each day he added one more step. And eventually he got it. He tried lots of things, it took time, but he succeeded.
#2 Take risks and get dirty but know when to stop.
Jack loved getting dirty. He would roll around in the grass, in the dirt, in the snow, run around in the rain with muddy paws and just enjoyed it! And he learned that he loved to swim. I used to work at a camp (Camp Liberty) and one day I brought him to work with me. Well after work, when all the counselors went swimming I went in. Now Jack had never seen a pool before. He was anxious and paced around it. Well when one of my friends jumped in and jumped on me as a joke, Jack jumped in and swam right to me, I think to protect me and when saw I was ok, he made a U-turn and got out. But he loved it; he kept jumping in and getting out. And when he got tired, he knows it was time to stop. He slept the entire car ride home.
#3 Live your best life.
One of his favorite things to do was just to sit in the sun. He would find the sliver of sunlight that would find it’s way into the house or apartment wherever I lived. He would bask in sunlight in Inwood Hill Park when I lived in the city and I would take walks with the dogs off leash and in our new backyard and deck he would find the sun, even if it meant in the morning being alone on the other side of the house. Once I couldn’t find him and I ran to the other side and there he was just basking in the sunlight laying the grass. He got this sort of smile on his face and he did it whenever he could.
Those are the three best lessons I learned from Jack. I miss him so much. And I know that Ginger misses him too. But he served his purpose and he took care of me, made me as close to being a mom as I will be, made me laugh, licked me when I cried, greeted me at the door every day, checked on me when I was sick and just loved me.
You are missed, but in my heart forever, thank you for all that you did for me.
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