He changed my life. Now, for the first time in eleven and a half years, I feel completely and utterly alone. No matter what was going on in my life, no matter how low or how high I felt, I was never alone, nor was I lonely. I had Piezon. His presence always reminded me I had a friend right by my side. He made up for all the long distance hugs I missed from loved ones. He gave me the hugs I needed in person. As much as I’d love to go with him to run and play at Rainbow Bridge, I know it’s not my turn yet. So where do I go from here? Well, mourning will suck, but remembering all the joy he brought to my life helps some. He inspired me to write a poem titled Chasing Rainbows. It was one of my many writings he inspired. It was a story about a woman who got taught a lesson from her dog. He taught her that she was empty and depressed in life because she based her happiness on the destination. He showed her that life is really all about the journey. When you finish one journey, you start another. Take a rest in between first, but go for the next one with gusto. Simple daily activities became an adventure for him. I’d say he saw the world through neutral eyes, but he appeared to experience all of life as good. We humans might smile at the sweet aroma of fresh cut grass, while we’d wither away in disgust at the scent of dog crap. Piezon sniffed both without judgment. Sniffing the sprinkle of the loose cut grass, yup, smells like grass. Sniffing a dried up pile of dog crap, yup, smells like dog crap. He’d go on his way. Neither affects him in any way but to enjoy the heck out of being able to use his acute sense of smell. Not only was it about the journey, but the gratitude to have the ability to smell. One time I told my dad I was afraid to walk Piezon, because the news reported a cougar loose in the neighborhood. Dad reminded me, “Knowing Piezon, he’d makes friends with it.” This is a great illustration about how he was everyone’s Piezon. Meaning in Italian, he was everyone’s friend (Paesano). He even made friends with the squirrels, and Florida lizards too. He wasn’t afraid of anything. Not thunder or fireworks either. It wasn’t like he acted tough and was willing to fight something threatening. He just saw all things as loving and loved them back, no matter if they were threatening or not. And he was always willing to go with the flow, no matter what the situation, because it was all about the journey. Every day when we woke up in the morning felt like our first morning with a new puppy. I was just as excited and happy to see him as he was to see me. It never got old, and I never felt inconvenienced or burdened by taking care of him. Not once. This is not to say that he didn’t test my patience on occasion, but that’s different. And I never could lose my patience for long. His sweet, warm, brown eyes easily brought a joyful lift to my mood. I’d say he was spoiled, but not an unhealthy spoiled. He was well disciplined, and therefore a well-behaved dog. Even with kidney issues in the end, he never messed in the house. He always obeyed commands and never harmed anything in our house. He loved people. He loved all of you. Not sure how much that is saying, since his tennis ball was his number one love. Honestly, there was no way to stay in a sad or a bad mood around him. Being someone whose emotions run high, around Piezon somehow I was able to balance them off. He showed me that he was balanced when I was balanced. He must’ve known I’m a Libra. My sweet, beloved Piezon. Thank you for all the joy you brought into my life that I never would’ve known without you. I carry you in my heart forever. (c) Lori Durante Rardin 2009 ~ * ~