Very often the best teachers have four legs and furry faces.
Nancy Wood

Living in the Moment, One Paw Print at a Time

Nancy Wood
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I had been living with a geriatric little Yorkie named Harry until he died over the holidays. He was 14, pretty close to my age in dog years.

I had been living with a geriatric little Yorkie named Harry until he died over the holidays. He was 14, pretty close to my age in dog years. His cataracts were causing him to lose his eyesight, his hearing was gone and his joints were stiffening.

“Do you think he wonders what is happening to him?” I asked his lovely, kind Dr. Ross. “He must be confused when his legs won’t allow him to jump up on the sofa.”

“No, don’t worry,” she said. “He doesn’t think about it at all, he lives in the moment.”

I’d heard those words often, but never applied them to little Harry or thought too much about them myself.

I’ve had other dogs before Harry, but he was my first rescue dog and the first I’d had as an empty nester. He lived in a cage in a puppy mill for four years until I took him home. I knew he was truly grateful by the way he wouldn’t let me out of his sight. When my daughters visited they tried to lure him onto their beds with special treats. They called him “the little brother they never had.”

When one of my daughters was a little girl, she announced one day that she understood why old people like to sit on the porch in their rocking chairs. I asked her to tell me why, and she said, “They want to keep time from going by too fast.”

I’ve often wondered what made her think of such a thing. Aren’t we supposed to be involved, travel, keep up with new technology and volunteer so that our brains won’t wither and shut down? But this activity also hastens the clockwork and hurls us faster to where we’re going. So do we rock the time away or just let it whoosh out from under us?

It’s a question I’ve pondered a lot over the years, and one that Harry helped answer for me. As he aged I learned to watch him enjoy whatever came next ─ the way he sniffed along on his walk, head down in concentration, and the excitement he exhibited over food although he ate the same thing every day. The UPS truck still sent him over the top even though he couldn’t hear or see it. Some kind of vibration, they say.

Recently, for the first time since Harry died, I walked the route we often traveled together. It was a bright and shiny winter morning, and I realized I was smiling when I noticed each one of his favorite sniffing spots. And just like I did when walking Harry, I picked up my pace to pass by the house where a dog lived that he was afraid of.

And then it hit me, how I was living in the moment, just as Harry had taught me, which may be the only way to slow down the whoosh.

Nancy Wood lives in Vineyard Haven.

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/13/2017 - 11:51

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David Small West Tisbury

What a lovely story. Thanks so much for sharing it with us. Truly, a life well lived.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/13/2017 - 15:55

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Pat Messenger Stow, MA

We can learn a lot from dogs, such as appreciating little kindnesses, and giving some to others.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/13/2017 - 18:45

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Marcia A Hess Durham

Beautifully written tribute! All my life I've marveled at your poise, witnessed at length when I was houseguest because of my friendship with your daughters. Despite my shy ways you welcomed me into the family. Love, Marcia née Walsh

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/13/2017 - 19:19

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John Williams West Tisbury

My sympathy for your loss. Dogs were one of God's best ideas. I am so thankful for the wonderful dogs (and yes, two cats) that enriched my life.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/14/2017 - 06:17

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Julie Hopson Sanibel, FL

Lovely elegy. I have just lost my fourteen-year-old dachshund and miss her in much the same way. Like you, I could lovingly list all the ways she was, from her happily talkative ways to her fear of lurching toddlers, but I had not thought at all about how she experienced time...

Submitted by verretspeck@gm… (not verified) on Tue, 02/14/2017 - 06:42

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ANNE VERRET-SPECK Amesbury

Thank you!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/14/2017 - 10:14

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Rita Brown Martha's Vineyard

Sweet story, Nancy. I'm sorry your little buddy is now longer a physical presence by your side all the moments of your days.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/14/2017 - 12:14

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Dianne Smith Chilmark

Your Harry, my Momo, countless other furry friends and their people are blessed to have "lovely, kind Dr. Ross" in our midst. Thank you (and the Gazette) for your sweet story and photo. My condolences...

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/14/2017 - 13:30

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Jen Probst Edgartown

Beautiful heartwarming story. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Those of us who have loved & lost our “best friend” know exactly what you are feeling. Harry is young again & free from all pain running & playing over the rainbow bridge.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/14/2017 - 15:16

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Ed Merck West Tisbury

Beautifully written, poignant and with more than a touch of wisdom. Thank you for this Valentine's Day present!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/14/2017 - 17:50

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Deb Woods Hole

Very lovely. Perfect for Valentine's Day as we bath in the sunshine and quiet of mid-winter from both sides of the Sound and try, just try, to remember to take one breath at a time, moment by moment. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Thanks very much.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2017 - 06:40

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Maggie Thompson Calais, Vermont

Delightful photo of Little Harry! A lovingly crafted reminder of living in the moment, and how our dogs (and cats) lead us in this skill. Thank you, Nancy!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2017 - 06:47

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Robin J. Furze Tiverton RI

Dear Nancy - I love this beautifully written, heartwarming tribute to your sweet little Harry. I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to visit w he and you on the vineyard. He will be missed. Much Love, Robin xo

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2017 - 12:00

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Barbara Ganey Pine Bush, NY

What a beautiful, thoughtful and poignant story - I can empathize with all of it. Thank you for writing this piece for all of us who have had little Harrys in our lives.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2017 - 14:46

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Jenifer Parkinson Oak Bluffs,MA

What a thoughtful and beautifully written tribute to Harry and the unconditional love you shared on your wonderful and slower paced Island home.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/16/2017 - 10:02

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Keith Maciolek Stafford Springs, CT

Thank you so much for the beautiful story. We have an older dog that we purchased from a kennel when she was very young, a Shih Tzu-Poodle mix that had been abused. She's now 16 years old and her hearing is almost gone and her eyesight is weak and, like you said, her joints are stiff. But my joints are stiff and everyone says my hearing is going so Faith and I are a lot alike. As you told us about your walks together I was there, with our dog Faith, walking as we do every morning and night. With older dogs we watch the world pass by together, and try to slow it down as best we can. Thank you again for the reflection.

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