I've been seeing references to "going over the Rainbow Bridge" for a little while now. I've thought for some time that this is likely a reference to the rainbow bridge connecting Asgard (home of the gods) to Midgard (Earth) in Norse mythology. Apparently this euphemism for death is frequently used in reference to the loss of pets.
Later today we plan to take the elder of our two dogs, Tucker, to the vet to ease his way through this transition. I've thought about writing here about our dogs before but have refrained because I feared it would become more of a rant than a commentary. It was my wife's idea to get a dog (eventually dogs) and I've never been as interested in having them in the house or my life. However, I agreed to have a dog because it meant a lot to her. Having lived with dogs for several years now I still cannot call myself a dog lover, though I have learned a lot about them.
My greatest concern as we've watched Tucker's health deteriorate as he has aged has been for the grief MM would experience as this time arrived. I have found, however, that I am having trouble discussing this with others without getting choked up myself.
I've joked for a long time that life begins not at conception or at birth but rather when the kids are grown and the dog dies. Well, I've got one child off at college and another just over a year away from finishing high school. Now one of our dogs is about to die. I guess we're getting closer to that new beginning.
I know the cliche is "no pain, no gain," but at times like this I sure wish there were another way. I don't remember it personally, but I wonder if birth was as painful as this beginning of life seems to be.
Posted by JoKeR at February 14, 2003 12:28 PM | TrackBack