Life changing moment

Be thankful for every day, you never know who is struggling out there to be alive. Appreciate the little moments 😊 #quote #bloggerstribe pic.twitter.com/5CpNghKK3Z

— Miss Internet Girl (@love_kerri) September 11, 2017

There is a story behind everything, and this quote here had a story behind why I posted it. I will admit, I never thought I would be writing this and I was hesitant to post it because it’s something personal that happened recently in my life and not something easy to talk about never mind write about.

 

Before I get into the story, the reason why I felt I had a calling to share this was a woman all the way from New York. While listening to Cieloscent Talk Radio Podcast,  A podcast about education, empowerment and taking your life to the next level. The podcast titled: The Things I Learn and Share On Twitter.

 

Cieloscent, who is a great sharer on her social media talks about coming across my Twitter page and seeing the picture and quote I have with it. Being thankful.

 

We are all taught as people to be thankful but in our busy lives, we tend to get caught up and forget to take the time to be appreciative of what we have.

 

If you tap into that conscious state of being thankful, grateful, appreciative or however you want to call it then not only will you reap the benefits of a positive mindset, but it can help your overall health.

 

You can listen to Cieloscent’s podcast here: Radio.cieloscent.com/cr-201-the-things-i-learn-and-share-on-twitter

 

Okay, now is the story behind why I posted this quote.

 

On Sunday 10th September 2017, after starting the hike in Tafelberg Road, just off Kloof road in Cape Town. The road you would drive up to the start of the cable cars, but the pipe track is the beginning of the road. My family and I set off for a long, bonding, enjoyable and eventful hiking day. The pictures of the hike can be found on my Instagram:

Instagram.com/p/BY3LxQThsKk/?taken-by=lovelyk01 

Instagram.com/p/BY3LIuJhp7M/?taken-by=lovelyk01 

 

Before we did the hike my dog who is primarily an indoors senior dog had to be in the backyard of my home since no one was able to keep an eye on him in case of any accidents that might have happened. He was in company with his food and water bowls outside too.

 

I knew he would be barking his head off, but there wasn’t any other option to do. I figured he would self-soothe himself by licking his paws which became a habit in the past when calming himself down.

 

Fast forward many hours after the hike, I was still on a natural high from being around nature and despite being tired mentally, physically I had energy still.

 

Greeting my dog Jocky with a warm embrace, I neatly put down on my carpet in my room an outdated, very old, warm, soft, but never worn again women’s cardigan sweater for him to lie down and rest on.

 

I could tell how tired my dog was because normally he would be up and about following those in the house, except this time he went straight upstairs to my bedroom and curled himself into a ball.

 

In the evening, I took Jocky for his usual walk around the neighborhood which he and I are always fond of doing. Since my dog is a senior dog, I have been accustomed to him walking slower than he normally does, but this time he was going slower than his usual speed. I realized it must have been from being outside in the backyard for hours on end that lead to exhaustion.

 

As night time approached on that Sunday after an adventurous day out in mother nature, nothing seemed more appealing than the moment of having your head touch the pillow and going fast asleep into dreamland.

 

Just as my eyes were closing I heard a noise. That noise was familiar, but at first, I assumed it was my imagination from being over tired. After hearing that sound again I opened my eyes a bit more, then looked down from my bed and saw my dog wanting to vomit.

 

Quickly rushing him down the stairs for what seemed forever to get to the backyard I then open the door and let him enter the backyard where he does what he needs to there. The side effects of vomiting can leave a person feeling dizzy and that applies to dogs too.

 

I looked away for a second, and in a blink of an eye, it happened. Jocky, my dog fell over from being dizzy and he was in an incredible amount of pain. The horror sounds that came out of his mouth made me rush outside and help him. With the help of my family members, we all worked together in helping Jocky get up and relieve his pain however we could.

 

I will never forget his face crying out in the immense amount of pain and suddenly he went quiet. His eyes were wide open with his tongue sticking outside his mouth and he didn’t move. I didn’t know what to think, I was shaking and everyone outside was in panic shouting that he isn’t breathing.

 

Those were the hardest words to ever accept. I wouldn’t! I knew he is stronger than anything. The day he was born, Jocky showed the most strength among the 3 other puppies that came from his mom. He is a senior dog now with arthritis and heart problems, but I knew he has fight left inside of him.

 

Watching my dog lie helplessly on the ground like that, and those words I hated the most to hear playing countless of times left me with a lump in my throat and opened a floodgate of loud uncontrollable tears that fell down my face.

 

I kept thinking this isn’t right, not like this. A dog that has so much life inside of him despite his health problems doesn’t deserve to be taken away in such a cold-hearted way. I had experienced growing up with Jocky through my young childhood days, tweenage, teenager and now adulthood. Every step of the way he has been there and I have been there for him through his life.

 

No one can truly be prepared for anything like this and I never think I would ever, I refused to let anyone give up on him especially now. Working together, we brought him back to life.

 

In all honesty, I can’t say if it was everyone working together with him or simply Jocky himself fighting through it but what holds the most utmost importance is my dog made it. He is alive.

 

Witnessing a near death situation from Jocky who isn’t just a dog or a pet to me, but part of the family has made me beyond grateful to God in keeping him with me.

 

Took these picture of Jocky on 14th September 2017. As you can tell he looks excited. The reason why was because I was holding food up in the air. Hence why he has his tongue out.

 

 

Collages created from PicsArt Photo Studio.

 

 

A beauty like this doesn’t need filters.

 

My late first dog called Lassie. (Jocky’s mom) Sorry about the bad quality, it was taken from an old photograph.

 

It doesn’t necessarily have to be a pet, it could be a person/people in your life that are significant for you to walk through a burning fire in order to save them. Literally and figuratively. It is indescribable the great lengths you would do in order to keep them safe.

 

After a person sees a near death encounter, there becomes a change in the way you look at things, the way you look at life to be more specific. Being thankful isn’t what was once forced, it happens naturally. A way of life, like how the sun rises and sets.

 

It shouldn’t always be waiting in anticipation for something to happen in your life in order to turn that switch on. It comes down to you, your mind and reflecting on the bigger picture.

 

No matter what you are going through, know that there is always something to be thankful for. If you are in a country that has access to clean water and never experienced a drought or a flood, that is something to be thankful for.

 

On your way to work or school with a car that has seen better days? Guaranteed there is someone who would be thankful to have your car and not have to walk or have to be around people they don’t know when taking public transportation.

 

Look at your life through a magnifying glass, those little things/moments that go unnoticed will become clear if you really take a long look in finding what to be thankful for. Every day may not be good, BUT THERE’S SOMETHING GOOD IN EVERY DAY. Remember that.