Domestic animals give love freely to the least deserving, but their lives are short and their ends are often brutal. And it’s worth it. It is all worth it. Every day, even a sad day blurred by headaches and filled with business meetings, is magical and infinite.
I know this is hn, but thanks for the great thoughts.
This is the first time I have talked about this...
On October 8, 1991, we found a box on our front porch containing a kitten and a note, "Please take care of me." We named her Sarah.
Sarah was a cat who acted like a dog. Every time I came home, she came running to the car, screaming for me the whole way. She sat on my lap every single day as I wrote thousands of lines of code. She was my best friend and companion for years, longer than any human.
This past February, Sarah had started walking into walls. My vet thought she was going blind, a different reason for each eye. We started treatment immediately. She didn't sit with me when I worked anymore.
Then on March 8, 2010, I was in the middle of an intense piece of work and took my eye off her for 5 minutes. She walked off the balcony and fell to the driveway below. Her injuries were too much; she had to be put down.
I was surprised at how I reacted, inconsolable and unable to function for about a week. I sat at my terminal, but for the first time in my life, no code came out.
OP was right. Our companions can be magical and mystical. And no matter how much it hurt, it was definitely worth it.
The code is flowing again like it did for years with Sarah on my lap. Except now, it's her urn beside me, between my laptop and my monitor. Tonight was the first time I smiled about it. Thank you, OP.
If you haven't already, get another cat straight away. The value a pet adds to your life is unbelievable and there is a tendency (just going from personal observation) for people who do not replace a pet soon after it has died to simply not get another one at all.
My dog died on March 30 and I had a new puppy by April 21, despite the inevitable feelings of guilt from doing it so soon.
Being a puppy he is a real PITA and lots of work but his presence has given me a real pick-up over the last few weeks.
I tried. I tried really hard. I really wanted to see it this way. But hey. Sorry. I can't. This is just a mockery to me. I can't stand it anymore, happy faces, banal everyday stories "what are you doing tonight? I am… blah blah!". So you are happy, you are doing fine. Great. I can't help myself. Sorry. I don't mean it, you're fine person, I am sure you are. But I hate you.
(Pardon me, HN. I don't feel good after reading this story and I am trying to help myself a little. I know it's silly. Downote this as much as you like, it's ok, I don't mind it, I just wanted to write this. Sorry.)
There are seven billion people on this planet and finite resources. If want you to stay happy long term you might want to lower your expectations a bit.
He didn't even say what his expectations are? There are a lot of reasons why somebody might be unhappy. "Don't worry, be happy" is not a magic cure to everything.
Isn't that what life is, though? It seems like a suboptimal strategy to only admire/enjoy the rare and fortuitous circumstances over everyday occurrences. After all, you are going to get a lot more of one than the other.
My past self empathizes with you. I'm not sure if it helps, but life can change, and even though everyday repetitive things will always be dull, being already happy can make it a lot more bearable, interesting even. Sometimes really silly things can keep you up. Since moving to this city (são paulo), just getting out of the house in daytime puts a smile in my face, because it brings back how uncomfortable I was living in the other places I did, and makes me feel slightly better, even though generally other aspects of life will always kinda suck.
If you can't find something (perhaps not this story) to convince you that life is amazing and precious that is indeed sad. You need to change your life
Don't feel bad. The universe is a vast and complex place. Lots of aspects and stuff to think and worry about. There is no reason you should have the same feelings, worries or thoughts as the person from the article.
Just his own output seems to demonstrate that maybe it does take some pain to feel truly grateful for what you do have, but, sadly, I doubt most people will appreciate that until, well, they've been through the mill too.
Pain, joy, suffering... all played out on our blogs, in our tweets and ripped to shreds in the comments by a legion of humans dealing with their own issues--all just as real, but not always in sync.
Life is grand--and it can suck.... and it's beautiful and so ugly.
As the father of a [teething] toddler [with a chest cold] and someone who has to travel with increasing frequency, I completely understand how Jeff felt last night. I'm not sure how he drew a connection between the awesomeness of family and the beautiful proton dance at the office, but if the point was to reemphasize the importance of perspective, it was a good read.
“Dad, there are poopy turds on the floor,” my daughter said.
“I know, I’ll clean them in the morning.”
“Dad, there are poopy turds on the floor.”
“I’ll go clean them,” I said.
it reminds me of the Louis Kahn quote:
“And if you think of Brick, for instance,
and you say to Brick,
"What do you want Brick?"
And Brick says to you
"I like an Arch."
And if you say to Brick
"Look, arches are expensive,
and I can use a concrete lentil over you.
What do you think of that?"
"Brick?"
Brick says:
"... I like an Arch"
Kids (and bricks) have a way of getting you to do the right thing.
Is it just me or does it seem cruel to keep this dog alive. If it is having seizures on a fairly routine basis that cause shrieks that "testify to his terror and pain." The more humane thing at this point would be to let this dog go. It's way harder for you then it will be for the animal and at some point is just being selfish.
Having been present at my own dog being put to sleep, I can say being put to sleep can be pretty awful for the animal, too. My dog had terminal cancer, and was clearly suffering, but given the choice, he would have chosen to live. He certainly struggled to live as he was dying.
I don't profess to know what the right thing to do in these situations is, and I am not saying that you are wrong, just that it is not so clear cut as that. Especially if the dog is still having good days (which the essay does not say one way or the other).
Well done.. even more powerful because this isn't typical fare on this website. If read on a personal development website, it would read like more content fodder. Read here, it reads like amazing.
I'm sorry to rain on that parade, but that last paragraph is really glued on there. I don't disagree with the sentiment, but that exposition went straight in to a brick wall.
I know this is hn, but thanks for the great thoughts.
This is the first time I have talked about this...
On October 8, 1991, we found a box on our front porch containing a kitten and a note, "Please take care of me." We named her Sarah.
Sarah was a cat who acted like a dog. Every time I came home, she came running to the car, screaming for me the whole way. She sat on my lap every single day as I wrote thousands of lines of code. She was my best friend and companion for years, longer than any human.
This past February, Sarah had started walking into walls. My vet thought she was going blind, a different reason for each eye. We started treatment immediately. She didn't sit with me when I worked anymore.
Then on March 8, 2010, I was in the middle of an intense piece of work and took my eye off her for 5 minutes. She walked off the balcony and fell to the driveway below. Her injuries were too much; she had to be put down.
I was surprised at how I reacted, inconsolable and unable to function for about a week. I sat at my terminal, but for the first time in my life, no code came out.
OP was right. Our companions can be magical and mystical. And no matter how much it hurt, it was definitely worth it.
The code is flowing again like it did for years with Sarah on my lap. Except now, it's her urn beside me, between my laptop and my monitor. Tonight was the first time I smiled about it. Thank you, OP.