life's not sweet without the bitter

Things I received for my 25th birthday this year:

1. a trip to the ER.
2. neck and back pains for a week.
3. an avulsion on my left side.
4. watching my dog fall asleep and never wake up.
5. an iPod Touch?

My dog was REALLY OLD, yet it took about three hours and one box of tissue to convince me otherwise that putting her through blood-tests and surgery would not be in her best interest. Clinging onto whatever was left of her, the whole situation reminded me of dad and how mom was in complete denial once his EEG came back negative.

After losing my first dog, I thought I had grown some thicker skin towards these sorts of things-- but nothing gets tougher. Old feelings are revisited, you end up dusting them off and burrowing your face in them again. Dad, Ginger, Grandpa, Hester. A pattern of fathers and female dogs.

In addition to the iPod (something that was completely off-kilter from the aforementioned conga-line of SAD) I got a Dahon full-size folding bike! My wound quivers in pain delight! So the next time I fly off a bicycle going at 25mph, I'll at least have the consolation of knowing that my ride can be conveniently folded-up and placed alongside me in the ambulance. YAY!