OUR LOVING PETS
I had the privilege of attending a lecture from Dr. Bernie Siegel today. He was lecturing about wellness and nutrition. He is amusing and fun to listen to as he uses lots of humorous quotes and antidotes to keep his viewers engaged. In the mist of the fun, he said something that took me back. Back to when I owned dogs. Now I hate to admit, but during this informative nutrition and wellness lecture, I spaced out for several minutes looking back at the time when my oldest beagle was diagnosed with liver cancer. Dr. Siegel made a comparison of how we treat our pets vs how we treat ourselves. This stayed with me for the rest of the day thinking about that particular afternoon at the vets office.
After the ultrasound and terrible news, I went into “mother bear” mode. You know what I am talking about… the feeling you get that is so overwhelming but spurs you to do anything for your child. In my case, my dogs were my children. I went into protective mode and now looking back, Dr. Siegel was spot on.
The very FIRST thing I did after that diagnosis was change my dogs food. I felt like it was imperative that I feed him the very best food I could find. The vet said that he might live for only three more months. I couldn’t accept that. I needed to make sure I could be in control over things that had significant influence over that vets prediction. I was on a mission to have my dog longer than three months.
WHAT ABOUT US
Looking back at that powerful lesson of life that my dog was trying to teach me, it struck me that we all need to be treating our bodies the same way we would treat our pets\children. Why aren’t we putting ourselves first in order to live longer? When I drastically changed my diet three years ago, I put myself and my health in my own hands. I wanted to be in complete control over the way I felt each day. I wanted control over my weight. I wanted control over my risk for disease. I wanted control. I knew that I was not only making the change for me, but my husband, who deserves a healthy partner. Here is our “why” story. https://kentuckyketocoach.com/my-why-story/
My beloved pet needed my help. I searched for resources and products in order to improve his chances for living strong. We need to take this stance everyday for ourselves. I believe we truly KNOW what to do and what not to do. Why aren’t we making better decisions for ourselves? Why aren’t the clear risks enough to make a change? Why aren’t the clear symptoms of distress in our bodies enough of a “red flag” to stop us from continuing down a broken path? Why isn’t the signs of our bodies are telling us enough to make us go into “mother bear” protective mode for ourselves?
THREE
In the end, my dog lived happily for three years. Yes, years not months. Was it perfect? No, we struggled with finding the perfect mixture of dry and wet food (and sometimes just chicken and stovetop stuffing) to balance his system. We went from weeks of diarrhea to days of constipation and abdominal swelling, but in the end we found a perfect balance. I did it for him. I did it because I loved him. He was worth it.
Are you? I had to shift that kind of love and respect to myself. Was it easy? No. But must be done to live a better life. I don’t want my future to be spent in and out of doctors offices or worse, the ER. I am in control and not going back.
Thank you to my beloved beagle, Tres, whose name ironicly means three. You are missed.