A long day at work and I am tired. I drag myself home, start a load of laundry, and heat up some left overs. Once the clothes are in the dryer and I finish my dinner, I take a really hot shower to relax. As the steaming hot water cascades over my head, I catch myself thinking, “So this is what you’ve always wanted. Is it worth it?”

I don’t allow myself to dwell on the negative for too long or too deeply. Still the sacrifices of the past year sting, sometimes as if they just occurred. The loss of my family, the nearly constant financial game of robbing Peter ( Pierre in this case) to pay Paul,  the hours before and after work making sure the records are right and everything is in order for the next day. Between times being hard for Chico and the Man and being too tired to care about it right now, I push my concerns into tomorrow. In doing so, those postponed concerns have a way of waking me up much earlier than I  may want resulting in my not feeling as rested as I would like.  I still have things to get done. I’ll worry about my impeding sleep deprivation later on in bed. 

I go through my mail. Only two bills today. That’s a good thing. A couple of professional magazines and several post cards from companies attempting to convince me of products and must have services.  And a card.

The card was from an elderly brother and sister who live in Miami. They own a security company which uses dogs. Their pet Zorba, a 17 year old Doberman who made the transition from guard dog to pet, was at the end of his life suffering from debilitating arthritis. They were requesting end of life services at their home, which I provided. After everything was done, they asked if I would sit on the porch and share a beer with them in remembrance of Zorba. They drank Budweiser while I drank spring water and we all just talked. After about 30 minutes we exchanged hugs and goodbyes and I departed for the crematorium with Zorba’s body.

I opened the card. Along with a picture of Zorba it read:

“Dr. Bland,

Thank you for being there when we and Zorba needed you.

Ted and Laura”

So this is what you’ve always wanted. Is it worth it?

Yes. Yes it is.

Dr. Pierre B. Bland is a small animal practitioner who offers office and house call appointments to his clients.  His offices are located at 3225 N. Andrews Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL and can be reached at 954 673-8579.