Happy 16th Birthday Campy!

Cheers to Living Life!

On October 7th we celebrated a big milestone in Campy's incredible life. He turned 16 years old.  As we enter the final chapter of his life, our daily routine revolves around caring for him - and we wouldn't want it any other way. Campy has given us so much unconditional love, laughter and joy and it is our pleasure to make sure he is living comfortably in his golden years. Throughout Campy's life, we always told him that "today is another lottery winning day." We always felt like Campy loved life and we wanted to make sure he was living every day to the fullest. During his younger years, he had a lot of energy. We took him everywhere. He loved new adventures, new places and new experiences. Campy was living his best life from a very early age. We took advantage of his love for travel, nature and being with us.  Campy doesnt have the energy that he used to have. His eyes are cloudy, he doesn't hear well and he is always in a diaper. His golden fur has turned white. Outside adventures in new places are scary because he doesn't see or hear his surroundings. He has become extremely picky with food and he struggles with symptoms of dementia on a daily basis. He used to be so spunky, energetic and opinionated but now he sleeps a lot. It's been really hard to see him slow down but I'm so thankful that he still loves to go on walks around our neighborhood. Now that Campy is in his "retirement" life, he can rest as much as he needs. I'd like to think that he has lots of memories of a life well-lived.  For most humans, retirment is viewed as the time to start enjoying life. It's the time when you can finally check things off your bucket list, take the vacations you always dreamed of and focus more on self-care, friends, family and hobbies. It's the time in your life that you can finally do the things you have always wanted to do and start enjoying life.  Unfortunantely, it doesn't always work out that way. We all know someone who waited too long to start enjoying life and due to an accident/cancer/health issue, they didn't see tomorrow. Tomorrow is never promised. All we can guarantee is today.  Since the day we adopted Campy, he taught us to live in the present moment. Even though I'm still trying to fill up Campy's memory book of life, I'm so thankful that we didn't wait to "live." I look back at all the trips, adventures and memories that we had together when he was younger. We never took a day for granted.  I encourage you to do the same. Don't wait to live a more fulfilled and meaningful life.

“Today is the tomorrow you were promised yesterday.”  — Shaun Tan If you are interested in a delicious Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili, check out this recipe from Joey HERE.

It's my birthday - living life with purpose

 

Today is my 41st birthday. I'll admit that I had a very hard time with turning 40 but now that I'm 41, I'm ok with being out of my 30's.  I remember moments of my chilhood as if it happened yesterday. Playing outside with my neighborhood friends, taking road trips with my family and staying up late during sleepovers. High school and college had a lot of highs and lows but I remember specific moments as if they happened yesterday.  As I reflect on all these memories at the age of 41, I realize how fast life is flying by. Sadly, I am also reminded of this quick passing of time because my dad lost his 10-month fight with cancer on May 28th, 2014 - four days before my 32nd birthday. For the past 9 years, my birthday month brings me back to the hardest day of my life and the passing of my dad reminds me that tomorrow isn't promised.  My dad always told me that 'it's not the years in your life that count but the life in your years."  My birth day always makes me think really hard about how I am living life. My birthday makes me think about life and death.  When a person has a health-related fatal accident doing something he/she loves, it's not viewed as a tragedy. But when the person has a fatal accident due to an outside factor, it's viewed as a tragic way to die and can make you think twice about how you are living your life. The purpose of life is to live it to the fullest.  I'm reminded of a quote that reads "Don't be afraid of death, be afraid of an unlived life. You don't have to live forever, you just have to live." - Natalie Babbitt I've heard that the 40's are the most unhappy period of life. I'm not letting this statistic get into my head. My 30s were hard. I spent most of it without my dad and I worked really really hard building my business. My dad often told me that I needed to get a hobby besides triathlon. Although he was always very proud of me and my triathlon success, he never got to see that I turned my passion into a career. A career that was built on my values, strengths and passions is now allowing me to live a meaningful and purposeful life.  In celebration of my birthday and living the past 9 years without my dad, here are a few questions to help you live your life with purpose. Remove the fear and worry of what others may think as you answer these questions:  Is your life aligned with your purpose? What are your values and beliefs?  What are your passions? Who were you born to be?  How can you help others with your strengths? Cheers to 41!