You can’t hug a memory

People come and go in our lives. I truly believe they appear for a reason. Even the most casual acquaintances or neighbors or coworkers all have an impact on you, whether you are aware or not.

I think that you can gather the best from people and leave the worst, and by doing so, enhance your own life. Even perfect strangers can have an impact, just by your observing their actions.

Then there are those closer to you. Your family, friends and even those four-footed babies in your life, they all can have a profound effect on you. The feeling of being loved and cared for brings a serenity that is rarely equaled.

Together, you share wonderful times and create some magical memories. Life can be incredibly good while you get to spend time with these guys. You wish you could bottle some of those moments, you wish you could save them forever.

Many times, we are so wrapped up in taking pictures to try to capture those moments that we forget to actually live them, to put the phone down and savor them. Keep them in your heart rather than on your phone.

Life is not a photo op. It is not a Facebook or Instagram post. It is real. It is fleeting. You can share those moments on social media, but you will never get the chance to relive them. You can’t get them back once they are gone.

So, by all means capture those moments digitally, but make sure to savor them as they happen. You cannot hug a memory. You can’t snuggle a picture. Be present in the moments as they happen.

This week, I lost someone very close to me. And while the pictures make me smile, the knowledge that I held her and hugged her often truly makes me the happiest. While I miss her terribly, I know that her time with me was wonderful and vice versa.

I firmly believe that it is the definition of a life welllived … and she is missed so very much by all who knew her. She brought smiles. And yes, she was a dog. Not just any dog, mind you. She was my girl, Rumor.

Rumor taught me a lot about love and life and how to be a better person. In her passing, she taught me yet another lesson: in this COVID world, we are all struggling with some manner of loss. We have lost freedom to come and go as we please, to eat out in our favorite restaurants, to host and go to large parties. We can’t travel to many places, and we are most definitely feeling the losses.

Losing Rumor, I have come to realize that while the many losses we’ve been struggling with are difficult, they are nothing compared to losing one that you love.

Prioritize your thought process — if you have not lost anyone close to you (and I certainly pray you have not), the other losses are tolerable. They are but minor inconveniences in a world that will one day be healed of this pandemic. And if you have lost someone, you have my heartfelt condolences.

Try to savor life, each day find something positive for which to be grateful. Focus on the good, not the bad. And smile. Even in the most difficult moments. Wag your figurative tail. Rumor always did, and she was always happy.