Emotionally Moved

What have you been moved by recently?
What has made your bottom lip wobble or the hairs on the back of your neck stand up to attention?
I can think of three things....all different......non linked......and in their own way...quite amazing.

The first was a moment in the Ballet Giselle. 
We had gone to see the live cinematic showing of the Royal Ballet's latest production and as the " wilis " appeared ( the willis are ghosts of women spurned by their suitors) I was literlly blown away by the scalpel-like precision of the corps de ballet.
The 24 dancers looked quite simply........stunning....as they weaved eerily past each other, veiled and silent....it has been a long long time since I have seen something so beautiful.


The second thing was a seemingly "off the cuff" comment ; a confession and surprise sharing of something quite dreadful that, at the time, seemed to come so out of left field, the sentence was left hanging.
The time was not quite right to explore the subject of childhood abuse, but the matter-of-fact description stayed with me long after I had heard it, and it moved me more by it's casualness of delivery rather than the subject matter
I know I am being careful and vague in my description of this situation and of course there is a reason for that but I need to share that the whole thing bothered me so much, bcause I felt I had handled the situation rather badly.
Thank goodness for the buffer that is social media, for it allowed me to contact the person involved to say what I should and needed to have said at the time.

The final moment was a tiny moment of " still" in the maelstrom of cottage life.
It was at animal mealtime, which can be a bunfight at the best of times . Albert, Winnie, Mary and George are all food led creatures who all get rather excited at the sight of food bowl on table.
The subsequent hysteria of paws on floor and begging yaps can turn a calm Nun to drink, so the peace as stomachs are filling can sound quite .....quite..wonderful.
It was during this lull, that I went to find William with his own allergy free food in hand.
William is and always has been, a gentle dog when food is concerned. He never begs and never gets excited when tidbits abound.
I found him sitting quietly alone in bed and he suddenly looked every inch of his ten years. His left eye is now increasingly milky and opaque and has lost it's deep hazel colour it once had, his fox red coat now looks a little dull and faded and I've noted recently that he sleeps longer than he plays.
He suddenly looked very old indeed and that upset me
I sat down with him and removed some hidden shop bought chicken out of my pocket which perked him up somewhat and in the peace and quiet of a cottage filled with fat bellies , I slowly hand fed an old dog his dinner .


66 comments:

  1. Thank you for stopping to listen to the world around you, and sharing it with us xo

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  2. Oh John. Moved to tears again here.
    And I have cried a puddle today already. I sadly fear that a friendship of nearly 40 years is broken, and I cannot see any way to mend it. I cherish our past, and had thought we had a present and a future to look forward to. It seems not.

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  3. Ah those moments, when all the universe unfolds before us.
    Cherishing moments.

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  4. I am emotionally moved now I as I read your description of William with his milky eyes and fading coat. He has become my favourite of your dogs and I am not even a dog lover! Please give him an extra pet from me today.

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  5. Ooo that made me cry John. We had a lovely old fuzzy guinea pig who died a few weeks ago. His final weekend involved 2 visits to the vets, I sat on the floor with him and sobbed myself silly as he dragged himself across the room to sit with me for some comfort. Jeez I was gutted, still am. Who would think after 6 years such a little pet could leave such a big gap :( xx

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    1. They certainly take over your life and emotions eh?

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  6. All my best with William. In the past couple of months I have gone through the non-eating problem with my two oldest dogs, spoon feeding and cooking special treats. Both were older than William and had serious health problems.
    I'll be think of you and William.
    Peter

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  7. A story was shared with me on FB yesterday about a staffy that's been at the animal shelter for five years. Every time a visitor comes to his kennel he runs out dragging his blanket. When they walk away he drags his blanket back in again. That gave me a lump in my throat.

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  8. Ohhhh . . . tears in my eyes . . . sweet, precious moment . . .
    First I was smiling at the gang of clattering paws . . . for the food fest, and then William . . . a personal hand feed at bedside . . .
    The ordinary of the day certainly brings extraordinary . . .
    for those that see and feel . . .
    Awwww . . . the ballet . . .
    Tender soul you are . . . to reach out toward the second mention , to clarify and care . . .

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  9. When I see truly in love couples (usually middle or older age) breakes my heart, as my parents and myself have not had that true deep love.
    And your story about William . My Alfie is in his fading years now.

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  10. Watching our babies failing is so hard. I'm watching one of mine now and I keep thinking back to 2005 when I rescued him. No matter how many furbabies we have, each is so special.

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  11. There is something very beautiful about ageing dogs. The greying of the muzzle, the slower gait, and more affection in their eyes. It's as if they know something.

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  12. What has moved me recently ..... reading that last paragraph.

    Lovely, lovely William, now is the time for him to move up the rung to be Dad's favourite boy and to revel in his last few years. Tidbits and treats and lots of one to one time ... and I'm sure he'll keep a twinkle in his good eye.

    An older dog is a special dog, too many people give up on them before they can experience this magic time. Enjoy xx

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  13. Oh, the pathos of old dogs. Our Koko will be 11 next month, and every day I feel like I notice it just a little more. I only hope he makes it long enough for me to enjoy a year or so once I've retired in a couple of years, but I fear that may be asking for a lot.

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  14. My chicken Noddy moved me just yesterday. She's just begun to lay and has had a few problems. She laid a beautiful egg yesterday, and I held her and told her how proud I was of her. She snuggled down in my arms looked up at me and gave the most contented sigh as if to say, yeah, I did it. She truly looked to proud it brought a happy tear to my eye. Take special care of the old guy William. Our pets whether chickens, cats or dogs are very special.

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  15. The book Me Before You by Jojo Moyes had me sobbing this week. It's my book club's selection for April and everyone who's read it so far has had the same reaction. If you feel the need for a good long cry, this is a great way to get it.

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  16. It was a story on the TV evening news about an army dog. This German Shepard sniffed the fields for mines. He prevented the deaths of many soldiers until one day he stepped on a mine and lost one of his front legs. He is still able to walk. The army gave him a medal and he lives with one of the soldiers at home away from the battle field. I got a bit chocked up.

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  17. Poor, poor William. Do please let him know how much he is loved.

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  18. It is for the moments of reading the last paragraph that i come here again and again.

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  19. Honestly I think that one of our main purposes here on earth is to pay attention and take note of things going on around us in our worlds. You do that. I love that. It makes not just your world but the entire world a better place.

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    1. I so agree with this. Thanks for saying it, Ms. Moon. Thanks for doing it, John.

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  20. How beautifully you write John. My daughter took me to the Sydney Opera House to see the Nutcracker two years ago. It was the first live ballet I had seen, such a wonderful and memorable experience.

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  21. I dreamt an earthquake woke me up in the middle of the night... woke up sure of it... even looked on the news for a report of it but no earthquake... strange feeling to have it seem so real... Hugs! deb

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  22. Lovely William, that was a magic moment for him and I bet he loved having that bit of you all to himself more than the tidbit.

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  23. The scene toward the end of Frozen, where that one idiot is about to gouge Elsa with his sword, but Anna jumps in front of her and stops him by turning into ice. Elsa cries, and that melts Anna. I surprised to find myself almost moved to tears watching that.

    Good thing I didn't cry, as I was in the electronics section of Wal-Mart of all places; I didn't mean to watch the whole film without buying a set but nobody who worked there seemed to mind.

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  24. It doesn't take much, anymore. Reading about William and thinking of my Jack nearing that age - gave me a sad pause.

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  25. This, I hope you see this John

    http://www.jackiemorris.co.uk/blog/last-words/

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  26. Really bad things happen to good people, and to quite average people too. Good for the person who can accept it, live with it, treat it as a thing of the past without making it a part of the present, and without allowing it to direct the future.

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  27. Oh when you realize your young pup is now an old dog and time is running out. A few more treats and hugs and cuddles until the last ones......Tears now as I look at my remaining pets. Lost two this past year and makes you wonder about getting more. We don't want them to outlive us.

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  28. oh god...teddy is 10 too. she can't hear much and her eyesight is poorly. she hasn't been eating her dry food for about a week. worried, worried, worried.

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  29. My pit bull/lab mix is around 15 years old. His name is Dunkin and he's almost completely blind from cataracts, mostly deaf, he has a mass in one of his lungs and his back legs are going. He tells me everyday that he's still happy, but we are dreading the day he says I've had enough. Such a painful time.....

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    1. So sorry...at least william is fit, apart from his eyesight xx

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  30. I often have those bottom-lip-wobble moments when I read your blog. I had one of my own recently while having dinner with a distant cousin of Jerry's. We met him 18 years ago, when he was 18. Haven't seen him in 10 years. He's now married with two children and he and his wife came for a weekend visit. I've loved him since I met him and instantly loved his wife. The idea that I can and do actually love people still surprises me and gives me an overwhelming shiver.

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    1. I feel the same about my nephews partner.....i liked her immediately i met her

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  31. A family of Javelinas moseyed by yesterday. I have to small ponds that are for all the wildlife around me from Mountain Lions, to bunnies. The javelinas all drank some water then they laid down and took naps. The little babies have grown so much were the last one to snuggle in . They were here for several hours resting in the shade. I had a catch in my throat that I was able to see this.
    I am also seeing that with my little crazed one, thehamish.
    thehamish had a very big and untrained dog picked him up and tossed him around and hurt him, then he lost Watson. He is getting older and slowing down. I love every moment with him.
    He is getting to be much more mellow and charming if possible.

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. I had to look up javelinias
      Pigs eh?

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    2. They are peccary and related to the hippopotamuses !
      Love it ! A pig sort of but not, what a hoot !

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  32. First thing I have just read after a very hard days work. Nice John.

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    1. I take it, that you are much better gary

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  33. I echo Gary's sentiment. I can vouch for how amazing the corps de ballet was, I didnt think I would sit through a whole ballet but it was mesmerising. William is ADORABLE, you even more so. My rescue Bedlington Boy is like a soft grey version, complete with slightly opaque retinas :-(

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    1. It was the best thing i have ever seen in a ballet

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  34. Your last story itself brought tears to my eyes John. We almost humanise our pets don't we? All kinds of things make me emotional - the older I get the worse I become. I think that we English are stupidly ashamed to shed a tear.

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  35. Dillon will be ten soon & I suddenly see him aging where I didn't before.

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  36. I'm writing this through tear filled eyes John. The picture you drew of affection and gentle caring was so poignant. I can see William as your special elder statesman, riding on the front seat. A hug for you both.

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    1. Virgina he is such a gentle old dog....the gentleman of the house

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  37. Have been visiting an 87 year old lady today { friend of the family } who also went to see the Royal Ballet ' Giselle " ...... she was as emotionally moved as you were. I showed her your blog !!
    .... and how lovely to share such poignant moments with William. Beautifully written and lovely that you shared that moment with us. XXXX

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    1. The second act of GISELLE was magnificent. I would adore to see it at the opera house from the stalls

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  38. Flippin' heck John, You've made a cynical old bag come over all wet eyed. Our old git is nearly 11 and has seen me through some grim times. I hope he slips away gently when his time comes, but he'll probably chew through a cable and burn the bloody house down with us all inside!x

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    1. Take em all with you....he has the right idea

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  39. Apologies for not replying to all comments. Its late and i need to go to bed x

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  40. My heart just feels heavy reading this , reminds me too much of Meg when she first started to age. Dear William , he has a lot of dear friends here xxx

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  41. All creatures age; just cherish the time you have each other. Joy is about the moment at hand, not the past nor the future.

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  42. Sorry I can't comment on the sad posts just lately; the lip wobbles as you put it just do me in. Good boy William.

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  43. Two things come to mind, the first a lip wobbler, the second made me go all hot from a combo of pride and embarrassment.

    The first was because a pic came by my FB feed that had not been credited to the photographer, but I knew who it was; Erin Vey, who does amazing dog photography. I popped over to her site to get the link to credit it with, and found out that her wonderful Great Dane, Grace, subject of so many of her beautiful photographs, had passed away. I never met gentle Grace but I loved her anyway.

    The hot feeling came about because I have been working on an Anglo-Saxon Lyre version of a song by one of my fave musicians, Damh the Bard, and he liked my adaptation so much that he shared and twittered it. I was moved all right! Made my year!

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  44. The story of your time with William was so touching. It's always hard to see animals (or people, for that matter) age. And yet, he knows he's cared for, so it's a happy story deep down.

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