Life Without Talos

There'll be another post later today about turn-in. I got pictures and video of the event. Why I want to remember it is beyond me, but I figure in time (a long time), I might be able to look back on this and smile. A little.

I'm trying to ease myself into this life-without-Talos thing. I tried to blog about turn-in yesterday, but found it impossible. Too many tears, too much heartache. So maybe if I go slowly I'll do better.

Life is much less interesting without Talos here. Even the dogs are different. We sat outside last night, enjoying the cooler weather and all the dogs just laid with us.

When Talos was here, he was the ringleader of all things playful. He'd have Nemo up and running all evening. And when those two were running, Tango was retrieving his tennis ball. And when all three dogs got really going, even laid-back Lily would join the melee – and that's something to see! Lily rarely lets her hair down, but Talos' antics could kick her into high gear.

It's amazing all the little things you miss. At every turn this weekend, I'd notice his absence and memories would pluck at my emotions, my heart. I'd occasionally smile, though, which is a good sign. There are still more tears than smiles, but I'm hoping over the next few months, I can at least equalize them.

Hopefully Talos will have his first day at Service Dogs of Virginia. I say hopefully because at turn-in we couldn't get Talos into the vehicle. I'll tell you all about it in another post, but let's just say it was a less-than-ideal turn-in for me. But here's hoping Talos does get in the vehicle and that he has a good first day at school.