JANUARY 13-BEST LAID PLANS

S R Janssen

Today was the day dedicated to the tedious job of packing up the Christmas tree. It’s a synthetic tree, but a very pretty one. It’s all white, pre-strung with white lights that I supplement with two strings of colored lights. It looks spectacular when looking in from the outside.

That’s a good stuffing the three sections of that tree back into its original box is a wrestling match accompanied by a rising rage of frustration complete with a litany of swear words. How does the manufacturer pack the trees, so they lay flat? I must take a special machine. I wish I could rent one. There’s a side hustle: renting Christmas tree packers.

Lacking a mechanical tree packer, I resolved to buy a Christmas tree bag and dump the box into a recycling bin. But my best laid plans went awry. According to UPS, bag had been delivered to my front an hour ago: 3:43 P.M. to be exact. But it had disappeared and has not been seen again. When wailing my unhappiness to UPS the distribution supervisor attributed this to the activity of “porch pirates.” This was my first experience with package filching. The filcher or filchers must have been so disappointed to discover their loot a only a large bag in a box. Unless, of course, they were having the same problem with their own tree,

I have filed a claim, and the tree bag will be replaced by the end of the week. However, I have lost my forward momentum for this project me. Much harder to replace is the original verve and enthusiasm managed to rev up for the project.

JANUARY 12, 2024 -A SERENE FAREWELL TO A FURRY FRIEND

S R Janssen

From time to time, we are encounter moments that open the door to thoughts of life and death. One such moment came my way today when I accompanied a friend to the veterinarian’s office where she would bid farewell to her beloved canine companion of fifteen years.

The dog was old. His once-vibrant spirit was gradually dimming as the weight of age took its toll. There was no doubt he had only a short time left on this earthly journey, perhaps no more thana month.

Given the circumstances and the love my friend had for her furry friend, she decided to ease his passage to prevent needless suffering,

It was a privilege and a poignant experience to witness the process. The procedure itself was serene and gentle. First, a catheter was inserted into the dog’s foreleg. Then as the time approached, his owner elected to cradle him in her arms during his final moments.

The process started with two injections of a sedative, that made the dog drowsy to the point of unconsciousness. The dog experienced no fear or anxiety likely due to the numbing effects of the sedative and the comforting presence of his owner.

The final injection stopped his heart within 60 seconds. By all accounts, it was peaceful and humane way for him to leave a life that had become limited and confining.

What struck me most during this experience was the absence of fear or struggle on the dog’s part. He seemed to sense the inevitability of his situation, and the presence of his owner’s love provided him with the comfort he needed in his final moments. It was a poignant reminder that even in the face of death, love and compassion can make all the difference.

Witnessing this transition from life as we know it didn’t prompt any concerns about my own mortality. There was a time when thinking about my own mortality frightened me. Time and the loss of family and friends has allowed me to accept it as a natural part of the human experience. I no longer fear thoughts of life and death. I rarely think of it at all because I focus my days on living as fully as possible.

In the grand scheme of things, life and death are part of the same cycle, and the love we share with our fellow beings, whether human or animal, transcends the boundaries of mortality.

This experience served as a reminder that it’s not the end that defines us but the moments of love, connection, and compassion we share along the way.

Love, empathy, kindness and passion for something, even as simple as jigsaw puzzles, are the threads that weave the fabric of a life, making the journey from life to death more meaningful.