I love this quote because it is the essence of what Live Like Karlie is all about. It’s about having fun with your dog, enjoying every moment, and celebrating what you have. We did this with Karlie despite knowing she had an illness that was going to slowly take her from us. Despite that we went on weekly adventures, did her favorite things, and tackled each advancement of the disease with a smile. That’s not to say there wasn’t frustration, grief, or that we never felt sad. Despite that we continued to adapt to what was happening and made the best of it. Even on her last day, we tried to give her the best send off by doing her favorite things.
When I look at the pictures from the final three months of Karlie’s life, what resonates is how happy we were. It radiates from the pictures. When we returned to San Diego in November 2021, I knew she likely would not make the trip back to Indiana. For this reason, I tried to make every day special. We revisited some of our favorite places and made new memories. We took countless pictures to document the fun we were having. These became the basis of our book Adventures with Karlie.
Now I look back on those pictures and it brings back such good memories. That doesn’t mean I haven’t had a lot of sadness and grief over her passing or that I haven’t cried rivers of tears. It just means I try to remember the joy and happiness she brought to me every day. I was so lucky to have her as my best friend. I will forever be grateful that she came into my life. So when the grief over your loss feels overwhelming, remember the fun you had, the great life you shared together, and smile because it happened.
Want some more help on dealing with the loss of your furry best friend? Check out our other posts – Celebrating the End, Got Tennis Balls?, It’s Okay to Love Again.
