The life of our Golden Retriever, Ava was cut short after only two years because of a large rapidly growing Sarcoma cancer tumor. But in those two short years, she taught us much about hiking, personal, and work life.
Ava was a hiker and would hike with anyone, anytime. I’d lay out my clothes the night before an early morning hike, Ava would then see it, sleep on it, and not let me out the door without taking me her. Out on the trails, she knew where to go, was always leading us, and then stopping once in a while; where she would turn around, look at us, and say with her eyes. “What’s holding you up, we got a trail to hike, and views to see.”
She would adjust her pace to the slowest person in the group, so we would stay together, and at the same time, she would venture ahead, turn around and challenge us to move faster. And while she knew the trails, she would sometimes go off on a new path, saying “hey, this looks new and interesting, let’s try it.” All things we need to be doing when we are out hiking.
Ava taught us how to build personal community. Ava lived on a street with dog friends next door and across the street. So, every day when she went out in the morning, she would do her business, then go see if friends Lambo, Elvis, or Truman were out. If not, she went around to the back of their houses and go inside looking for them. Once we found her playing with her friend, we would end up talking to our neighbors for at least another 20 minutes. Ava got us to spend more time with our neighbors and create community like nothing else ever before in our lives.
Creating personal neighborhood community requires intentionality. So often we think that neighbors should come to us. With the neighborhood dogs having physical or electronic fences, Ava knew she had to reach out to them, so she was intentional to go see them every day, even if it was only for a few minutes. And we need to do the same.
Ava was always challenging us, checking on us, and knew if we were “getting it or not”. Lessons we need to know in our work life. While out in the back yard or hiking, Ava was always exploring or chasing: deer, rabbits, or squirrels. We could hear her but not always see her. But if we tripped or fell, she would be at our side in a split second, putting her nose in our face and pawing us to make sure we could move. At work, we need to be doing the same. Exploring and moving ahead, but keeping an eye on those around us as well. Does someone need help with something they don’t understand? Are we sensitive to a personal life problem that may be affecting a co-worker performance? Do they need to take time off from work? Do we know how to offer some extra support?
Ava’s passing reminds us; that life is full of unexpected events, that we need to cherish the time we have with others, and that there are teaching moments / trail tips to be learned from the encounters we have along the trail of life.
Al Andersen 