When my father-in-law passed away in December of 2012, we brought his elderly Walker hound dog home to live with us. No one seems to know Milan's exact age, but 14 plus in human years wouldn't be a far reach.
I've always heard it said that people and their pets begin to look a like after a certain number of years together. At times, when I look at Milan's face and in his eyes, I can almost see my father-in-law there and it makes me smile.
Now, since Milan is in his golden years, he could sit around the house and rest on his laurels. Complain about his arthritis when the weather turns cold, but oh no, not Milan. He knows how to live life to the fullest.
My husband and I live in the country and we walk in our pasture every morning for exercise. The way our land is set up, we have pasture land as well as treed areas, and of course we have a stock tank. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a stock tank is basically a pond for animals to get water.
Today, Milan along with our other two dogs went for our usual walk. Our other dogs love to go down to the tank and get a drink, but not Milan. Oh no, he lives each moment to the fullest. Milan jumps into the tank and takes a swim. Then he gets out refreshed and ready for his next great adventure which just happens to be hunting prey, (never mind its all in his head, or maybe simply a butterfly -- who am I to judge.) .
In the year plus since Milan has lived with us, he has taught us so much about living life to the fullest. The greatest lesson is that you don't need a lot to have a good time and enjoy life. Just get out there, take a dip, go for a walk, use your imagination.
One of my father-in-law's favorite sayings was, "Get busy living or get busy dying". He lived by that rule. He lived until the day God called him home. So, take some advice from Milan and my father-in-law. Get busy living!
I promise, there's a whole great world out there waiting for you.
All the best...
Mary Alford
www.maryalford.com
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