What Really Matters?

Sometimes we get so absorbed in this day-to-day experiment called life, we accidentally forget what Really Matters. The grocery store runs out of an ad item or somebody cuts us off on the highway or we burn a birthday cake. But, do any of those things Really Matter?

This week, I had a couple of unexpected life-lessons that reminded me for the umteenth time what Really Matters. I am a bit disappointed in myself for needing reminders, but I guess I am no different than anybody else. We get so engrossed in the present moments we forget about the grander importance of the long term.

The last time I got the message was about a month ago when my step father passed away. That ended a certain branch on the family tree. A life-time of memories have been created but cannot be recaptured or modified. After his death, I realized “again” the type of things that Really Matter.

The time before that was 8 months earlier when my sister Carol lost a long battle with cancer.

I don’t know why it is so easy to temporarily forget those critical reminders and ooze back into our day-to-day lives, where we lend way too much importance to trivial things instead.

This week, I entered a speech contest and botched my speech…but does that Really Matter?

How many people do you suppose would love to trade their problems for mine? Wives of wounded soldiers, mothers of sick children, Fans of the Denver Broncos!

I spent a couple days trying to put that speech into perspective. It wasn’t overly difficult. I received at least ten kind and supportive emails. It was easy to see that people matter and botched speeches don’t.

Then, Monday evening I got another one of those “special” reminders.

About 6 weeks ago we took in a short-term addition to our home. Chyna ("China") is mostly Saint Bernard.

When you foster a dog, you don’t always know its background but Chyna brought several clues about her past with her. She is about 4 years old, house broken, well behaved. She walks well on a leash, she is a record-setting tail wager, she sits, lies down, shakes and goes to her bed on command. In spite of those great qualities, Chyna comes with baggage.

There are the usual things about Saints: their size, slobber and shedding, happy tails that clear the coffee table, train-loads of food and poop the size of footballs. But in Chyna’s case there was still another issue.

She must have come from a place where there was a lot of competition for food because she eats her dinner as fast as she can. She can wolf down a bowl full of Kibbles faster than a commercial grade garbage disposal.

Then there is this other issue. Somebody allowed her to get ridiculously obese. We have been walking her everyday and watching her diet. She has peeled off 8-10 pounds over six weeks. Even though she is regaining her girlish figure, she still weighs nearly 150 lbs and could stand to lose 20 more.

You have to wonder, why somebody would show so much attention to a dog and teach her all those wonderful tricks and then let her get so out of shape…and then abandon her…what were they thinking?

After Chyna’s Monday walk, I was on the computer trying to research some ways to slow down her eating habits and came across some information from a vet who said Chyna’s habit can be very dangerous. When dogs eat like that, they can take in way too much air and become bloated. If the bloating is not caught soon enough, their stomach can twist and that can easily lead to their death, usually within an hour.

A little later, after her dinner, she went outside like she always does. We watched her out the window for a minute and Chyna started acting silly. She was running around in circles and plopping on her belly, then getting back up again, then repeating the pattern.

Suddenly, my wife, who is a lifetime caregiver, realized Chyna was not playing…something was wrong. A quick examination revealed that Chyna had indeed bloated. Her stomach was huge and hard as a rock.

In an instant, my wife called the leader of the Rescue group with whom we work. Brent knew exactly what to do…Stop everything else and rush to the animal hospital. Chyna was at a crossroad.

Fortunately, Patty’s quick thinking, Brent’s knowledge and a $2500 medical procedure saved Chyna’s life. Nobody knows if she will bloat again but if she does the surgery assures her stomach will not twist and she will not die from it. A couple GasX pills can safely release the air in her stomach.

We picked up Chyna yesterday and she is on the road to recovery. In a couple days we will be able to take her for walks again. But when we do, we have to gather her leash and that sets her in a wild frenzy. No dog gets more excited about going for walks than Chyna does. All one-hundred and fifty pounds leaps up and down and whirls around as if she was auditioning for Dancing with the Stars and Considering what Chyna has been through, that my friends, is the kind of thing that Really Matters.