What I Learned from a Dog

After our 15 year old dog died peacefully in her sleep, we consoled each other with these common words, “she had a good, long life”. The same words we uttered last year when our 20 year old cat left this world. And it made me think about what metric we used to assess that life-- what made it good. 

Longevity is obvious. They lived past their expected life spans. So having time to live a life is important. But what made it a good life? Can’t we argue that loved and cared for pets all live a relatively good life? And in turn they make our lives good in the joy they bring through their love. Good is just that simple for them. And maybe it is also that simple for us. 

In the end what will it take for someone to say, when my soul leaves this earth, that I had a good life. Can it be that what matters in that assessment is only two things; that I was loved unconditionally and that I loved others unconditionally. And through that love, brought happiness to at least one person’s life. 

And if that is so, then all the failures, constraints, and hurts of this life, the ones that seem to erode my soul, are not at all important. What is important in having a good life is to love well and be loved well. And that is a freeing notion. Because that, we can all do.