Idyling A While
There’s going to be good days and bad days.
That’s all anyone could say. It’s a horrible thing when our bodies betray us. But if you look at life as vast as an ocean, as the Buddhist analogy goes, things or life happens in waves. You can compare the wave to one another, you can see it as beautiful and frightening at the same time, eventually the wave passes and another might form, it might not, it might calm and while gone, the water is still there, reminding us that phases of our lives are temporary, not permanent.
That sometimes waves come and go so fast that if you’re not paying attention you just might miss it. Like a flicker of light in the dark. That’s Cy.
He’s a barrel of energy and light, and if you’re not paying attention he’ll be out of sight in an instant, most likely chasing a squirrel down the street.
He’s been having more bad days than good days before his diagnosis and with his latest labs stabilizing, his good days are here. Before they wash away, despite the recent heat wave, I’m letting run as hike as far as his little legs can take him.
I planned a short two-mile hike up in the mountains, Idyllwild, Calif. to be exact. Just me and Cy. Unfortunately, with strict leash laws in the area, he wasn’t able to go as fast as he wanted. Instead, we took our time meandering to different off shoots of the trail, checking out overlook areas, boulders and the occasional squirrel in a tree. I also made Cy take so many photos, because I don’t want to forget any of it.
At one point Cy was looking pretty tired. We sat under a tree for a good 10 minutes. I told him if the time was near to just tell me. He stood up and started walking towards the summit. And I know today wasn’t the day, and that perhaps he can’t understand me, that it could just be his border collie nature to keep going, but I’d like to think that we’re connected somehow if not in thought at least in life. Today, he wasn’t done, he just needed a break.
The rest of the day was Cy’s — like a wave peaking.
As we finished our hike, I don’t think either of us wanted to go home. But today was a good day so we left it at that.
”While living the life of a wave, the wave also lives the life of water. It would be sad if the wave did not know that it is water. It would think, 'Some day I will have to die. This period of time is my life span, and when I arrive at the shore, I will return to nonbeing.’” -Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation.
