Lighten Up and Live Longer

Picture this: We have never had a dog of our own. However, when we became a grandparents, it included not only a granddaughter, but the grand dogs, as well. It’s a package deal. About now, we would give anything to be chasing a 2-1/2-year old around. Instead, we have two very large, very needy Labrador retrievers. One is black and one is white, so no matter what I wear, my clothes are toast.

Labradors will eat anything and anytime, preferably continuously. And their gastrointestinal systems are pretty delicate. If they eat anything out of their normal diet, however much they may enjoy it, it upsets their tummies. At times like these, doggie summer camp is not fun for the counselors. We immediately become launderers, floor scrubbers, and carpet cleaners. And we’re very religious about taking out the trash.

The counselors tend to like to eat three times a day. The doggies are only supposed to eat once, and they think this is very unfair; so those big sad eyes drill into our heads any time we pick up a morsel of human food. I don’t know how they do it with the eyes. Maybe it’s my training as a mom, but whenever one of them looks at me, I have immediate and severe pangs of guilt. I want to apologize and I don’t know what I’ve done. Well, I haven’t shared.

Because they are fed in the evening, intestinal upsets tend to happen in the wee hours of the morning when the counselors are fast asleep. With kids, it may be a drink of water, or fear of the dark, or other normal kid things. With the dogs, it’s downstairs and out the door, with me standing freezing on the front porch while they examine every little twig and rock for the absolutely perfect place to do what they came out there to do. Then it’s back to bed, where I’m surrounded by two snoring labs, and the other camp counselor (he snores, too). How is anyone to get any sleep in this cacophony and running up and down stairs to the front door all night?

The dogs don’t realize how lucky they are to be at summer camp in a place they love to explore and with their grandparents. While they have been lounging in the sun on the deck or out exploring, their humans have been busy packing up one house, moving to another state, and getting the new house set up. When camp is over (in about a month), the counselors will transport them to a new strange home. All of that upset is someone else’s problem. Camp will be over and the counselors can return to the cabin to shovel out all the dog hair and the slobber, and get back to their normal lives.

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Okay, I woke up this morning 60. Actually, it doesn’t feel too bad. No aches and pains. Good energy. And then there are all the perks: a loving husband of 39 years, gifts from dear friends, my sisters, my parents, and an extremely grateful son and daughter-in-law. They are in the process of moving out of town, and we took the dogs to ensure that process goes as smoothly as possible.

On this birthday, we are running doggie summer camp at the Blackwood ranch. It’s a very exclusive summer camp, only two attendees: Stormy and Hercules, Ben’s two big labs. They have been very anxious about all the boxes, people coming and going, etc. It’s hard enough with a very willful little two-year-old in the mix, so mom needed a break. Dad is already in the new city hard at work in his new job.

Doggie summer camp will continue until after the movers have picked up the furniture, the house is clean, and our children are relocated an 8-hour drive from here. When everything is unpacked and the doggie run is set up, in two or three weeks, we will make the trek to deliver the dogs to their new home, and to show them, to their great relief, that they aren’t orphans: their family still loves them.

Introspection crops up as it does on these milestone birthdays, and this day tells me that the essence of a life well lived is in what we do for others, how much we work together as families and as neighbors to enrich all our lives, so we can all be successful.  I may have 10 years; I may have 40 or more to make my mark on this planet. Because I don’t know, I’d better step up the pace. I have a wonderful life, and I’ve had a lot of help, many mentors, and cherished people who have helped that life unfold. It’s my turn.

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• Loving husbands are to be treasured and cared for.

• Women friends, especially my sisters, are as vital to life as oxygen.

• Children are still your children, no matter how old. That being said, obvious mothering is not welcome passed a certain variable age.

• Each relationship should be handled lovingly as if it could evaporate tomorrow.

• Still having both your parents in your life is a rare and precious gift, and gives us daily opportunities to make them feel that way.

• Dependability and trustworthiness are important to every aspect of life.

• Careers can constantly evolve and continue to be a source of stimulation and excitement.

• Some secrets are better kept secret, especially if they involve someone else. Betraying a trust to get it off our chest never ends well.

• Gravity is not our friend, especially when our cheeks end up around the jowls, and all our other body parts head further south.

• We could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars restoring different parts of our body to a more youthful appearance, but where do we stop, and who would our old loves hang out with?

• Fitness is more important than ever and makes the both the mind and body sharper. It is also harder.

• The only way to achieve my 104-year life plan is to go through 60.

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