Life with Dogs

Our world had become connected to the flatlands again, after heroically fast work by our county and state officials to rebuild a road. In that regard, life has become "normal" again. However, regardless of how easy it is to get down to town, my heart is in the mountains.

The past week has brought some unexpected tumult to my life due to an illness in my family. I've been stressed out - more than even I realized. Then, yesterday afternoon, the familiar "light show" started in my visual field (an "ocular migraine"). It's like zig-zagging and flashing lights in the far right of my vision, and it's a sure sign that I won't be feeling well for at least a little while. For a couple of years after these ocular migraines began, I had the light show and then I'd feel normal.

However, these migraines have evolved. Now, my brain seems to get scrambled by them, leaving me feeling like I can't focus on anything. Moreover, I now often get a migraine headache after the light show. Ugh.

So, I went straight to bed yesterday when the light show started, a rare thing for me to do. The good news is that I feel almost normal today, although the stress that triggered it is still here.

This morning, when I realized that I felt okay, Shyla and I headed out to the forest, where I find my peace by pedaling through nature. To my eye, my Shyla is getting more beautiful by the day as our bond grows.

Sometimes, I wonder how I could ever live without dogs. They make me smile and comfort me in times of stress. When I dove under the covers with a migraine yesterday, Shyla lay her head softly on me, watching over me.