Simply Existing

About an hour ago I saw a small movie on YouTube about a 97-year-old Philosopher Herbert Fingarette talking about aging and death. Aging on how becoming dependent and losing capabilities and accepting that we now need help even for the habits we were so used to for most of our lives, like getting dressed, taking breakfast, ... 

Our bodies will never be better than the present moment we have; our beauty now is the best than tomorrow...we are aging!. I wish to know more stories about how elders feel and what advice they give us. I consider this to be important because in this century we get older just by turning 30, not 60, according to how difficult it is to get employed after a certain age, even certain jobs don’t accept you after this age, talking about sports, fashion, etc. In my opinion, in order to have full experience in our lives, we need to contact with youth and elders. Our time will come, so these elder mentors will get us prepared for what is about to come. I consider a blessing to be able to be here in this world for so many years. Of course, with quality of life and not in pain. Otherwise, as Thomas Shelby says in Peaky Blinders, “Sometimes, death is kindness”

This small movie is a changing life experience that I wanted to share. Thank you, for his grandson to make this movie. You can consult this on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX6NztnPU-4 and soon enough you will begin to experience life differently, taking care of all small things and cherish the trees and who is next to you. Feel everything around you.

Death is all around us and is one of the mysteries of life we have to accept and there is no answer to it. It is part of life, but this acceptance is not easy. 

I’m one of the many people that fear death. I try to live every day to the fullest and listen to elders for their advice and not take things for granted.

I also want to share my experience with death as a veterinarian.

One of my everyday mentors is my companion pets and my clients’ pets also. They are so brave. 

Even in sickness, they don’t feel pity about themselves and they don’t give up. They keep trying. 

Pets do everyday mindfulness. They don’t think about tomorrow. 

As a veterinary practitioner for more than ten years, I deal with euthanasia and death so often. I also think about the meaning of death and life ..if biological we are here to reproduce, transmit our genes to the next generations and die to give them the next opportunity; if spiritual, God has a purpose for us all, and we are here to learn and evolve, or death is simply nothing ...but either way, we don’t know and what we don’t know makes us afraid….

Performing euthanasia is emotionally difficult for us veterinarians. For every euthanasia, I have done I pet the animal, talk to them and I’m always kind. I give the first anesthesia to put them to sleep and then, the second which stops their heart. Then comes the moment so hard for me. The exact middle moment, between the before and after. This moment when death occurs, part of me leaves...

Although I know it is kindness sometimes because they are sick...part of me goes with them. After I do a little prayer and I open the clinic window so their soul can leave in peace…some colleagues of mine may have other ways to cope with that but I deal like this and I would like the world to know. Saying GoodBye is the hardest thing for me to do.

After so many years of doing euthanasias for different motives, I thought it would be easier with time and I was very wrong. It occurred the opposite. I had nothing left. So now, if I need to perform euthanasia I ask my colleague and I’m doing part-time veterinary medicine and reduce my suffering by confronting death.

Being there watching the moment, near it and physically there when it happens and still is a mystery to me, why do we need to go through this?. I don’t have more pieces of me to give to them. 

So I’m just doing the good part of veterinary and I’m grateful. I will always be veterinary in my heart and learn with life has to offer.

This post is dedicated to the elders including my grandmother and grandfather and to my dear pets that passed away. I will be with you again.

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