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.
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.
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