Editorial
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8-31-04
Just an Aging Dog
by the Pool
Finally someone has written an Op-Ed
column from out there in the membership!
I have been wanting this for a long
time. Way to go! I have been actively
encouraging people to do this.
One
of the things about writing a column
on the website that gets to me is that
you rarely get any feedback for your
articles. You have no idea if anyone
reads your articles, much less gives
two hoots whether you write one or
not. I know we have a “Give Your
Two Cents” section but that is
a drop in the bucket as far as feedback
goes. I liken it to talking to yourself
all the time. Pretty soon you are not
even interested in what you have to
say. Please continue
to volunteer and contribute articles
for our online Fling Section. My dog is laying at my feet as I write
this editorial.
His name
is Freckles and he is a Dalmatian.
In Sept. he will be 12 years old. That
is pretty old for a dog, especially
a full blooded one as they (or so I
have been told) do not live as long
as
a mixed breed. Being an old guy, he
is subject to being cantankerous and
grumpy. I find he doesn’t want
to listen to me half of the time and
even pretends he doesn’t hear
me at times. I have tested this out
on occasion by wrinkling a piece of
paper in the kitchen. All of a sudden
his hearing seems to work remarkably
well. He is beginning to drive me nuts
though with his “senior moments”.
He will go to the screen door and woof
to get out. When I let him out he will
just stand there like he forgot why
he was out there in the first place
and then will turn around and woof
to get back just as I have gotten back
into the house.
Another thing he does is not pay attention
to what he is doing at times. I was
cooking on the grill the other day
and he was so intent on what was going
on at the grill and getting closer
to it that he slipped and fell into
the pool. Of course it was the deep
end and being a dog he tried to head
straight to the edge to get out. The
steps are at the other end. I
had to laugh at the goofy look on his
face. Maybe it was embarrassment that
riddled his mug. Anyway, I reached
down and pulled him out. He is more
cautious near the grill now. I couldn’t
help but wonder if that had happened
when I wasn’t
around, how long would he have treaded
water at the deep end before he realized
he needed to go to the steps at the
shallow end? It’s a scary thought
that he could have drowned had the
situation been different and I wasn’t
there.
I am starting to see similarities
in the aging of my dog and myself.
For instance, I
must misplace my glasses at least
five times a day. Or when I walk into
a room and forget why I came in there
in the first place.
Sometimes we need
other people around to help us remember
things we forget about. Reunions and
the Blast From
The Past are reminders of why
we are here and what we are doing.
It gives us chances
to remember where we are coming from
and what is important in life.
In the
end, it is all about friends and people,
which is why I started this website
in the first place and it is beginning
to grow way beyond Dan and myself and
taking on a life of its own. That is
what I wanted to happen. It needs to
morph itself into something that will
be self-sustaining in the future. Members
need to take an active role and keep
this going when Dan and I aren’t
allowed to have computers any more
in the old folks' home. Just a thought to keep in mind.
Jack
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