Irrationally Happy

Our dear old Boof left us last week. She was ten and had struggled for some time with a breathing disorder common to old Labs. The lack of good oxygenation made it hard for her to exercise, but it did no harm to her mental state, which continued cheerful til the end. We had discussed whether to stop taking her for walks in the orchard, especially since the hot, humid summer weather was hard on her, but since walking and eating were the main joys of her life, we felt that prolonging that life by keeping 50% of her happiness from her was not good math.

On her last day, she had lunch and then nagged me at length to take her out. Finally I got up from my desk and we went down the orchard trail, where she ate many windfall apples and a handful of blackberries my daughter had picked for her. On the way home, she had a heart attack. She lingered long enough for John to race home, and when he arrived, she wagged her tail. A few minutes later she was gone.

It is sad to lose a friend, but I hope I am fortunate enough to go like Murphy did, on a beautiful afternoon in the cool green grass, with the clouds sailing overhead and birds flying up singing around me.