I missed out on my usual social media posts this week, and I’ll be honest, it’s been a tough one in more ways than I can count.
Now, I know not everyone’s as much of a warm-and-fuzzy “fur mama” as I am, but my animals have always been a huge part of my heart. That love has only grown stronger as my human kids have grown up and built lives of their own.
Last week, we had to say goodbye to one of our fur babies. Technically, he was my sister’s dog, but since she moved in, he became family to all of us. His name was Flex, and he wasn’t your typical dog. He’d had a rough start in life that left him a little “special.” One ear up, one ear down, the cutest cross-eyes you ever saw, and a tongue that always stuck out just enough to make you smile.
Flex was a lover. He didn’t care about toys or treats as much as he loved a warm lap and a long nap. He was 16, so his passing wasn’t unexpected, but that doesn’t make it any easier. We wrapped him in a soft baby blanket and laid him to rest beneath the trees with our other fur children who’ve crossed the rainbow bridge.
That’s one small blessing of living in one place most of your life, you build roots. I can visit that peaceful spot and feel close to them all again. There’s sadness there, yes… but there’s also comfort and good memories.
Then the cold front hit, and let me tell you, at my age, cold weather is no friend. So my heart hurt, and my joints joined in for good measure.
And because life likes to pile things on, this week’s estate-sale pickup day came with a torrential downpour. I forgot my umbrella, parked halfway to Oklahoma, and made five trips through the rain. By the end, I looked like a drowned rat, and my body still hasn’t forgiven me.
To top it off, I thought I might be heading for elbow surgery. The doctor told me months ago it was “tennis elbow,” so I’ve been wearing that brace faithfully. But instead of improving, the pain kept getting worse. Out of curiosity, I looked up a diagram online only to realize the pain was on the opposite side. I sent a photo to my trusty sidekick (Spock 🖖), and we figured out it wasn’t tennis elbow at all… it was golfer’s elbow. Turns out I’ve been bracing the wrong side this whole time! Once I switched it up, I started feeling relief within days.
So why am I sharing all this? Because, in the wise words of Joe Dirt:
“You gotta keep on keepin’ on.” And “You can’t have no in your heart.”
Even when your body aches, when your heart feels heavy, and when the world seems to throw every storm at once, keep going. The clouds will break. The sun will find you again.
If you’re hurting right now, I see you. I get it. But giving up isn’t an option. You’re stronger than you think, and you never know what you can accomplish if you just keep trying.
💛 Keep the faith, friends. Better days are coming.
— Tonya
