Yo, Dad!
MacDuff? Is that you? How is this even possible?
Well, Dad, you’ve been trying too hard to look and listen with your ears, when you should have been listening with your heart.
Alright then; let’s say, just for the sake of argument, that this is really happening and I didn’t just get some bad mushrooms on my pizza. I’ve lost many “special” dogs before, and this communication from the far side of the bridge has never before happened; why now?
Well, many of the inmates that preceded me, Uki, Beebe, and Max for example, passed after they had said all they had to say to you, and it was their time. Then there were others, like Stevie Mae and Bull Taco, that were unfortunately taken before their time; and while that you will never admit it to yourself, the type of connection that you had with these that had passed too early had yet to fully coalesce.
So, how did this particular “conversation” come to be? You also were taken far too early, how did you happen to just jump to the front of the line?
Well, Dad, I hate to admit it, but this one is all on you; remember the trip to Colorado last spring?
You mean the one that I didn’t think that you were ready for, and ended up being one of the toughest/costliest trips I’ve ever taken? Yeah, I think that I remember that one…
If you mean that I wasn’t “ready”, you were right, but I was “willing” and “able”, and the best ability is availability. But what neither of us realized at the time is that the hardships endured on that trip were the catalyst that accelerated our bond to the point that we’re still able to now have this conversation, even though I’m technically gone. Pretty cool, huh?
What about Charlie? Will this type of communication also be possible with her when she passes?
Dad, some answers only come when it’s time for the question to be asked; she is on her own path, and only she can give you that answer.
Alright, Duff, now the big question, the elephant in the room: who is to be the next motorcycle dog? Or is there even supposed to be another?
Dad, you are the most obtuse, pig-headed human ever; don’t you see I’ve already given you the answer? The choice is yours; if the right dog reveals him/herself, that will be fantastic, but it really doesn’t matter. You don’t have to worry about finding your mojo with another dog, as the fact is that, no matter what, you will never have to travel alone. I’ll always be there. It will take a lot more than a needle and a cold table at a vet’s office to break the bond we have.
OK, Duff, then where are we heading next?
Maybe to trade for a different bike, something totally different? Head back out west when the weather breaks? Possibly rescue another dog? Or maybe it’s something totally different, as unexpected as Charlie was back in 2015; how should I know? This is your trip now…
…I’m just still on it with you.
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