Gone But Not Forgotten;and a New Challenge

Reader alert: This is a personal post and not about travel.  It is about what this travel agent has been feeling.  Please forgive the indulgence.  I seem to need to do this to get back on track.

Ok. I admit it.  The sudden death of my dog, Bailey, hit me like a ton of bricks.  She loved me unconditionally and I loved her.  Only a dog can teach you about unconditional love and it is a valuable lesson.  Everyone should experience it at least once in their lives, and then we should try to create it in the lives of others.  What a wonderful world it could be.  I am trying to make that transition both spiritually and physically with the people around me. It isn't easy.  Dogs are much better at love than we humans.

I just haven't felt like blogging while I was transitioning through the stages of grief to acceptance and getting ready to move on.  I like to share my smiles and keep my problems to myself and a few very close friends.  Blogging in that state seemed very counter productive.  There is enough negative stuff to read to last 100 lifetimes.

So, here is the news. I have not replaced Bailey because she was irreplaceable.  Instead, I sought out a new companion who would be similar in size and beauty by otherwise different. 

I bought myself a male Maltese puppy at 3 months old.  My first "son", after a lifetime of girls, and my first young pup in many years, I have no time to grieve. He is always on the go. He is very smart and is learning as fast as I can teach. I named him "Pono" which is Hawaiian for good and righteous. The first two days, he seemed that  good; but I guess he was just traumatized from the flight and the new home.  Now, "Pono" is a beautiful Hawaiian name that we aspire towards. 

He heels well and is house trained and trained to do his business on command. He also sits, kisses, and stays on command. He has not perfected come or down but is starting to get those. He totally misunderstands that humans and their possessions are not for biting and chewing.  If he can reach it, he nips at it.  He has a plethora of chew toys; but, prefers my toes, fingers and legs.  I say Stop, Leave It and No a lot.  Sometimes he catches on.  He is worse after feeding and before exercising. He is best tired. Cesar Milan is right about that.  Since a now 4 month old puppy has more energy than me, I have recruited the assistance of a 14 year old boy with way more energy to help burn off some of Pono's.  Great idea, and now I have both Pono's and the teenager's energy to deal with.  Too bad I am not like the people who feed off others' high energy. No, I am  more of a give me quiet time alone to regroup and re-energize type.  But, it is all good.  I have a new friend in Pono and lots of visits from teenagers.   Challenges keep our minds off some things we can't control while we learn to handle the new challenges.  This travel agent is in full gear again.  That is as good as it gets.

Thank you to Bailey and to Pono for the precious life lessons already learned and still to come from them both. Thank you to all the kids where I live because they all showed their love of Bailey with cards and other sweet gestures,  thank you to my close friends who cried with me and who now laugh both with and at me, thank you to my clients who understood and sympathized and who send messages of condolence and thanks to my readers who had nothing to read while I went through what I had to go through.