Life begins with an end in mind. Every breath brings us closer to eternal bliss; however, nothing prepares us for the untimely end stop of our epic. We walk around enjoying every moment, feeling good for once, and then the Poet decides to throw in a caesura, forcing us to hit the pause button, take a breath, and deal with a crisis. This crisis being the loss of a character very near and dear to our hearts – man’s best friend.

A few days ago, my family went through one of the hardest parts of life, death. We had to put our dog down, ending his epic life too soon. When I heard the news, I knew exactly why this was happening, but I couldn’t wrap my head around what lead us to that moment and that decision.

See, the dog was youthful and playful, like a toddler stealing the hearts of anyone who came over for a visit. He loved to snuggle and steal your food when you weren’t looking. He fit right in with my loud and energetic family.

However, one day he just snapped. The dog became vicious, so my parents had to put family first and make a decision that no family should ever have to make. Our dog left the world with his loving family nearest his heart, the only way a living thing should leave the earth.

The reason I dedicate an entire post to this day of heartbreak is to shed a little light on humanity. Oftentimes, when a dog becomes vicious, the first instinct is to immediately remove the animal from the situation and take action to put him down. Instead, my family made an informed decision to try and rehabilitate the animal before ending his life, and it was the right decision.

When a family brings an animal into their home, it becomes an established member and even receives a glitter decorated stocking at Christmas. They share a hearty Thanksgiving meal with the whole gang and wear sweaters around the house. Pets are family, and taking the time and putting in the effort to nurture an animal is a selfless act because love knows no limits.

Life does begin with an end in mind, but that end remains a mystery. Each character plays a significant role no matter how they enter and exit our lives. Whether on good terms or bad, temporarily or permanently, each life has a purpose, and allowing our humanity to guide us is the only way to make sense of our own epics. Now the Poet brings the pen to the pad once again to continue this epic journey until further notice.