Being Present

Being Present.  Living in the moment.  Those are things that, in our world of constant stimulation and always being "connected", are becoming more difficult to do unless you really make it a focus of your daily life.  While I try to live this way as much as I can, it is easy to get distracted.  It is easy to get caught up in the chatter, the noise, the busyness of the world around us.  But this week, I have been reminded of the importance of really trying to focus on living in this moment, right now.  Because once a moment has passed, we will never get it back.

This refocus on being present has been important this week because of all that we went through with Imke last weekend.  It's was like a slap-in-the-face reminder that our time is so limited;  all of us live such a short life in the grand scheme of things.  But our dogs, they are here for a brief moment and then they are gone.  And, at least for me, they make such a huge impact on our lives while they are here.  It is truly a shame that they can't live longer. 

This week, I've spent time reflecting on our history together and the memories we made...the amazing journey that we have had, but then I remind myself, she is still here and we are still making memories.  Pay attention now. 

Earlier in the week I was following her around snapping pictures of everything.  And while pictures are awesome and will be comforting to have when she's gone, I don't want to spend all of the time I have left with her looking through a camera.  I want to be with her, living in that moment, together. 

At this moment, I'm sitting on the bed with Peaches and Imke beside me and Maddie is happily snuggled up on her cozy cave.  I am struggling with writing in this moment because I really just want to lie down next to Imke and snuggle.  But I am trying to keep living life as normally as possible and I do want to share our adventures from the week. 

Since having lots of fluid drained from her chest last Saturday, she has been feeling better.  She is back to her sassy, bossy, food-loving, fun-loving self.  She seems so happy and her tail is wagging more and she even has a little more pep in her step.  It is great to see her feeling so well, even though I know it won't last forever. 

With her feeling so well, I decided we needed to get out for a mom and Imke adventure.  Just the two of us together for the day.  I've been promising her one ever since crazy Peaches came into our lives.  So I took a vacation day on Thursday and we headed North.

She insisted on having the windows rolled down so she could sniff the air and I obliged.  I can't deny her one of her greatest joys!  She was so excited to be traveling North, she was barking with excitement for a big chunk of our trip.  I'm sure she knew exactly where we were going. 

When we arrived in Mackinaw, we headed straight for the beach.  We met a very nice couple with their sweet old lab, Nellie, and we talked about our old girls and how we were making the most of the time that we had left with them. I gladly shared with them the story of Imke and her travels to 49 States and 49 State Capitols and the amazing life she has led.

We then were off for a short walk.  While in Mackinaw, we were going to add to our miles on the North Country Trail, even if she could only go a short distance.  It isn't the most exciting part of the trail, but it counts!

After a couple of hours in Mackinaw City, we made our way back to the Jeep for our trip across the Bridge to St. Ignace and the Lake Michigan beach. Time for our first trip across the Bridge with the top off of the Jeep.  This girl loves to have her ears flapping in the wind and her head is out the window any time we go across, even in the dead of winter.  That's some dedication! 

When we got to the beach, she headed right for the water.  Although Imke isn't much of a swimmer, she does love the to wade around and take a big drink.  I jumped in with her for a bit and then she was off on a mission to sniff every inch of the beach.

Once she gets moving at the beach, it is hard to get her to slow down.  Although it was a good thing we were on the move because the black flies were horrible!  They certainly did put a damper on an otherwise perfect day at the beach, but we were still happy to be there

Finally, after lots of exploring we sat down on the beach blanket to relax and enjoy the sun. 

And of course, Imke took her place on my lap, like she has done a thousand times before.  Silly girl!

It was a great day in the U.P, a great day at the beach, and a great way to clear my mind and get regrounded.  Everything feels better after some time at the beach.

When the flies finally got too much to handle, we packed up and headed into town for a walk on the boardwalk in St. Ignace-which also happens to be part of the NCT. 

Our final stop was at a park along the trail to enjoy Lake Huron and to share a Veggie Pastie from Mackinaw Pastie Company.  Someone was very happy that I shared with her.

It has been a great day, but it was time to head home.  So we got back in the Jeep and headed South across the Bridge satisfied with our day.  As I watched for the final view of the Mighty Mac in the rearview, I hoped that we'd be able to get back there to make more memories together.  But if not, I was glad we had made the trip.  There is nothing quite like an adventure with my girl and I will always cherish our day together.