Changes

Life is a series of changes. Some good, some bad, all bring new people, situations and sometimes even locations into your life. We’ve had some big changes in our families over the last few months. My sister’s dog passed away at the age of 14 and 3/4 which is actually darn good for a husky/shepherd, but it doesn’t make it any easier to let go. It’s really hard to watch someone you love get old whether that be your pet or your parents, or eventually your spouse.

Earlier this year, my father in law had surgery to remove a tumor from his kidney. Everything seemed to go just fine, until he was released into rehab. He spent a week there and ended up back in the hospital with aspiration pneumonia. He is in his 80’s and has had several strokes, so things weren’t looking too good for a couple weeks. He somehow lost the ability to swallow and has been fed thru a tube since then. He is slowly getting the feeling back in his throat and has been cleared to start eating pureed food for now. He has lost a lot of muscle strength and spends a lot of his time in a wheel chair, but he is doing physical therapy to help him get more independent. He is most likely going to get to go home in about three weeks.

So we have a few family members who are facing some big changes. My sister is going home to an empty house with Jasper being gone. It’s hard enough to lose a pet, but now you have to face life without them being there every morning and every night. It just leaves a hole in your life that will never be filled. She will eventually adopt another dog when she is ready, making another big change in her life for the better. My in-laws live in a two story house where the bedrooms and the only bathroom are upstairs. My father in law cannot go up and down stairs anymore. In all likelihood, they will have to sell their home, making for another huge life change for them.

Me personally, I left my job of 26 years at the end of January. Sitting 8-10 hours a day for 26 years has impacted my health adversely, so it was time for a positive change for me as well. I have very bad back pain from all that sitting, so I am spending some time getting my health back. I am just NOT old enough yet to feel like a cranky old lady, yet. In the next few years, I am hoping that we can downsize and move somewhere that has a slower pace of living, and closer to nature. So I am doing everything I can to make money so I can save up for our big change. And my older furkid will be turning 14 on June 1st this year, so she is definitely a sassy senior. We are making the most of every single day we get with her.

What big changes have you experienced recently? How are you handling the big changes? We’d love to hear from you!

Yours in health and wellness,

Dawn and Kate