Is it Time?

By Reba Hull Campbell

 

How does anyone ever know when it’s time? Time for anything. Time for change. Time to slow down. Time to speed up. Time to make a decision. Time to wait.

I recently knew it was time to make a decision on buying a new car when circumstances forced it – my car died on the interstate and repair was far more expensive than the car was worth.

Now I’m mulling over when it will be time to get a new dog.

 

 

When my beloved Golden Retriever, Dixie, died back in January, the first thing people often asked was when would I be getting another dog.  At that point, I thought it would never be time to get a new dog. My heart yearned for Dixie, not just another dog.

But as my heart started to heal, I came to the realization that my life just wasn’t complete without a dog. Only catch was I had to get to the place where wanting to have a dog outweighed just wanting my Dixie back.

It took time for me to want to even touch a dog. About six weeks after Dixie died, my friend Eleanor’s two dogs helped me pass that milestone by loving on me just when I needed it. Gradually, seeing other people walking their dogs stopped causing tears. That hole in my heart Dixie left gradually began to heal.

 

 

Then I stumbled on this endearing essay by the playwright Eugene O’Neill written in tribute to his beloved dog as a last will and testament. The book literally fell off the shelf onto my foot in my favorite DC bookstore.

 

 

My favorite passage in the book reads,

“One last request I earnestly make. I have heard my Mistress say, ‘When Blemie dies we must never have another dog. I love him so much I could never love another one.’

Now I would ask her, for love of me, to have another. It would be a poor tribute to my memory never to have a dog again. What I would like to feel is that, having once had me in the family, now she cannot live without a dog!”

Dixie, and beloved Beaufort before her, did really teach me I’m one of those people who can’t live without a dog. I’m choosing to believe that this passage would have also been written into both Dixie and Beaufort’s last will and testament.

 

 

So…maybe it is time to be open to possibilities. I’ve found myself following Facebook feeds of shelters, Golden Retriever rescue organizations and rehoming groups. I’ve made several calls to people who posted about abandoned dogs or strays that no one claimed. So far nothing.

But I think that’s OK.

Time heals. Time brings the gift of perspective. Time will bring the right dog at the right time.

I’ll know when it’s time.

 

Reba Hull Campbell

When not working to promote the interests of SC cities and towns as deputy executive director of the Municipal Association of SC, Reba is passionate about travel, writing, learning to play the uke and staying connected with old friends. Reba can be reached at [email protected] or through her blog at http://randomconnectpoints.blogspot.com.