Sunday, October 20, 2013

The Unbearable Unfairness of Life

Yesterday was a very hard day for the pet blog community, as we lost our beloved Pip. No, Pip didn’t “belong” to me, or to the pet blogging community at large; he had a loving family and furever home. But this adorable little doggie was “ours” in the sense that he openly shared his life and love with all of us, through his blog. Pip was one of the sweetest, kindest and cutest woofies I’ve ever known.


I never met Pip in person, but I adored him just the same, and the news of his passing unleashed a torrent of tears. Those who question how someone could cry over the death of a pet they’d never met, will never understand the deep bonds that pet bloggers forge with other pet lovers and their pets. It can be every bit as profoundly special as the bonds we have with our own pets. These blogging woofies and meowsters use words to bring them to life. They let us in, let us see every part of their life while sharing their joys, triumphs and sorrows with us. And when they run off to the Rainbow Bridge, the gaping hole in our heart feels much the same as it does when we lose one of our own.

Not a week goes by that we pet bloggers don’t have to say goodbye to another cherished pet. Sometimes there are more than one in a week. It reminds me of the old saying, “Life isn’t fair.” It’s a fact that no human journeys from birth to death unscathed. Tragic things happen. We deal with sorrowful circumstances as best as we can. We soldier on, because we must.


But for pet lovers, life can seem even more unfair because those we love leave us much too soon. I often wonder how it came about that animals have such infinitely shorter lifespans than humans yet they create for us such life-altering emotional experiences. We love them with every fiber of our being, despite knowing that one day, we’ll experience the soul-searing pain of losing them.

Even when we’re lucky and our pet lives to a ripe old age, it’s never long enough. Surely this is one of life’s greatest examples of unfairness, that we humans can have 80 or more good years on the planet, yet our four legged friends rarely have 20. But it speaks to our resilience and emotional capacity that we love them deeply all the same.


I will admit, there are times that I think “I hope I die before Annabelle, because I don’t know how I will ever be able to cope with that loss.” Each week that I say goodbye to yet another treasured woofie or meowster in the blogging community brings fresh pain and fresh fear of that day I know will come. And I’m not ready. I will never be ready to say goodbye to my beloved heart cat, but I can hold her close today and tell her how much I love her. I don’t know when that last “today” will come, so I have to cherish every precious moment I have with her.

As I say goodbye to the wonderful woofie Pip, I will try not to be sad and dwell on the loss, but be uplifted by the fact that knowing him made my life richer. Yes, Pip has gone too soon…as they all do. We can only love them as much as possible until that final day, and keep them close in our heart forevermore.

13 comments:

  1. It's just hard! :( So sad. Beautiful post, Julia xx

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  2. These events are so very, very hard.

    I've been kinda keepin' my distance a bit 'cause we're still not completely over losin' my Auntie Snowdrop. Hearts are still a tad raw at my house.

    It just isn't fair.

    Purrs,
    Nissy

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  3. You said this so well. It's like losing extended family members all the time, very difficult.

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  4. That was such a beautiful tribute to a beautiful soul. I know Mr. Pip will be sending you cheeseburgers from the Rainbow Bridge. We loved that boy too.

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  5. How true. They're never with us long enough and each loss affects the pet blogging community. We were sad to find it was Pip's time to leave, but we're happy he got to finish his bucket list and made so many smile.

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  6. Thank you so much for this lovely post for Pip. I'm amazed and humbled by the outpouring of love from around the blog world for Pip. I always tried to be true to his spirit when writing his posts - he really was that sweet, kind, and funny in real life.

    I wish you many years with Annabelle. Treasure every moment with her. Are you still collecting money for her medical needs? I would be happy to make a small donation in Pip's name. He was a big cat lover and always wanted to help other animals in need.

    Hugs, Kristin (Pip's Assistant)

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    1. Hi Kristin. I am glad you liked my post for Pip. He truly was an amazing dog, and I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you for offering to make a donation for Belle in his name. I do still have a gofundme account since I have a ways to go before the vet bill is paid. There's a sidebar at the top right. Hugs, the Warden

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  7. That was a lovely tribute to Pip, who was a very special little dog. Life isn't fair, but for us it's about living in the now and trying not to be fearful of what's to come. The Ape worries about what would become of me if she went Bridgeward before me or any other cats who are yet to come and live here.

    Memories of the good times that once were now are worth cherishing

    Mungo

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  8. Well said......we feel the same.....even when we don't "know" the one who leaves us, being part of the community of animal lovers somehow bonds us all with each other and we mourn regardless. I think about it a lot now that Sam is a teenager. I just try to focus on each day and fill it with as much love for Sam as I can!

    Pam

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  9. It is true all that you have written. It is hard to say farewell to the earthly bonds we have with our special wonderful furry friends. It is hard to see each agonizing loss and the sadness and sorrow that accompanies it. There are no easy answers and we all can only try to get through these things the best we can. But the CB is such a huge help in so many ways, but especially we one of us passes over, the support is wonderful and so helpful.

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  10. The Human agrees with efurry word!

    But when she reads about the loss of a well-loved kitty or woofie, she tries to think: Thank Ceiling Cat for the wonderful life this kitty had with the Human(s) who loved him! He was one of the Really Lucky Ones who was loved and cared for right up to the end. That is the kind of life all kitties should have.

    Cause, really, that's the truth. The Human gets sad anyway, of course, but she tries to remind herself about the good stuff.

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  11. What a beautiful tribute to Pip, and what truth there is in your words.

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