S.I.T. Day 4: A Sad Goodbye to My Dog
My most sobering moment in 2021 was watching my 17 year old Boston Terrier decline, and making the heart-wrenching decision to let her go on 12/13. She went peacefully and compassionately, at home and in my arms. And even though I knew I was doing the most loving thing for her, there was something about making that decision that felt completely unfair. I mean, who was I to decide her fate? But she was ready and we both knew it was time. And so we cuddled endlessly, clinging to every moment together, until she fell asleep forever.
It was the absolute least I could do for my BFF after almost two decades of unconditional love and amazing adventures from Los Angeles, to New York City, Turks & Caicos and back to her namesake, Brooklyn. She was everything I aspire to be. She knew how to play hard and rest even harder. She was athletic, bold, silly, curious, persistent, and friendly. But, very particular about whom she spent time with. And boy did she have the best intuition when it came to people. Within the canine spectrum, I don’t think it ever dawned on her that she was just a 16 pound ‘lil nugget. ‘Cause there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that she could hang with biggest and fastest of dogs in the park. But, she also had clear boundaries. And she wouldn’t hesitate to defend herself against any dog that crossed her. Even if it was, say a Rottweiler, which completely freaked me out as much as it made me proud. I loved her brazen confidence.
Everybody in our neighborhood knew Brooklyn by name. I was just the chick holding the leash. All of my Pilates students knew her too because, toward the end of her life, she remained curled up in my lap during their Zoom workouts. Yes, because the global pandemic forced me to work from home, I got to spend almost every waking hour with Brooklyn. Especially when she needed me most. I didn’t realize how much I needed her too. She was my everything.
31 Days of Soaked in Thought
S.I.T is an invitation to SIT with yourself – for a few minutes per day – to think your thoughts, feel your feels & express your emotions with a JOURNALING RITUAL. For the entire month of Jan, I’ll be posting daily journaling prompts as a source of inspiration. Ring in the New Year by getting #soakedinthought
