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2227.
In certain contexts, that’s a pretty big number. In others it feels minuscule. Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my best friend after 2227 days of knowing each other. And I assure you, that wasn’t nearly enough days.
When I first brought him home, I was shocked. Hugo had been the easiest puppy ever. Aldo on the other hand was a little spitfire. As a pup, when he was in his kennel at night, he would literally scream. It wasn’t a bark or a whine, it was a scream. I wasn’t ready for what I was getting in to with him. But those feelings didn’t last long.
Quickly, he and I fell into total sync with one another. He literally became my shadow. If I was working in the yard, he was working in the yard. If I was watching a game or a movie, so was he. Every single time I took the trash out for the past 6 years, he would walk me to the door. And then he would wait for me to get back. If I had a bad day, he would know.
I remember one day, about a year or two into life with Hugo and Aldo, realizing someday I would have to say goodbye. I instantly dreaded that day, and have ever since. I always hoped for 15, or 12, or hell, even 10 years together. But with Aldo all I got was 6. Fuck cancer. I feel robbed.
Yesterday might have been the hardest day of my entire life. We took him to the vet for what was to be his fourth round of chemo. They did scans and found that he had some major internal bleeding, common with hemangiosarcoma. They informed us that he probably only had another day or two left.
We brought him home. We tried to spoil him with treats. But he wouldn’t eat. He wouldn’t drink. He didn’t want to do anything at all. I could tell that it was time. I think he knew it too.
He’d fought this cancer like a god damn champion, to the point he had nothing left to give. 6 years wasn’t enough time together. I wouldn’t trade anything for those 6 years.
If you have dogs, you know. If you have kids, you know. Don’t take them for granted. I’d encourage you to put your phone away sometimes and just love them. Put work away sometimes and just love them. Just be present in the moment with them. That’s all they want, is to be loved by us.
Rest In peace my friend. -
I've heard the outer darkness is really nice this time of year. -
Real Magic. -
Home. -
Fresh Pow. -
Look, I’m gonna cut straight to the chase. The moral of this story isn’t sympathy. Or apathy. I’m not writing this, looking for any of that.
The moral of this story is love.
Dogs are too good. And I think humans could stand to learn a lot from dogs about love and compassion. And at the core of them all, Aldo would be the poster boy for the best boys.
He just turned 6 last week, and he’s the sweetest, funniest, and most lovable dog ever.
Last week Aldo fell ill. We took him to the vet, and after bloodwork and x-rays, they discovered he had a tumor on his spleen. That same day he went into surgery to have the tumor removed.
They told us that about 66% of the time, the tumor is cancerous. 33% of the time it’s benign. And 1% it’s something weird and inexplicable.
The past week has not been easy. And today things culminated in a way I never could have imagined. The results from the biopsy on his tumor came back. It was in fact, part of the 66%. Aldo has a cancer called Hemangiosarcoma. It’s a tumor of blood vessels, and thus, it bleeds. And since blood runs throughout the body, it’s has a tendency to spread fast and quick. And frankly, the outlook for dogs with this kind of cancer is very bleak.
Aldo is as tough as they come. I know he will battle till the end, whenever that may be. And through it all, I know he will continue to be the sweetest and most loving pup around.
Like I said, the moral of this story is love. Whether it’s your dog, your cat, or your humans, don’t ever take them, or their love, for granted.
Dogs are too good. Aldo is the best. -
When the light hits just right. -
ULS -
La Jolla -
Fly South. -
Exist in superposition. Life’s all about contradiction. Yin and Yang, fluidity in all things.
Kauai // 2019 -
We can’t medicate man to perfection again.
We can’t legislate peace in our hearts.
We can’t educate sin from our souls.
It’s been there from the start.
But the blind lead the blind into bottomless pits. Still we smile and deny that we’re cursed.
But of all our iniquities, ignorance may be the worst.
Muir Woods // 2018 -
Tootsie Rolls of the Ocean. -
Oh hi @thrice 🙋🏻♂️ -
🌭🌭’s -
Happy birthday to my main dog, @ethan_metcalf_ You’re a real one. Love you brother. -
Man, oh man, you think it’s so American.
Man, oh man, you think you’re so American. -
A Captain And A Man.
Guatemala // 2013 -
There is a ghost in this machine. -
Archception: An arch within an arch. -
REEF
Capitol Reef // 2018 -
We skinned our hands when we fell
We washed them in the deep wells
Limped our souls, we're bruised but blessed
Arm in arm, we're stumbling west
NYC // 2019 -
Ok. -
Glacial.
Alaska // 2018 -
Nā Pali. -
Chicago. It’s been 2 years. That needs to change. -
And all I could hear was the sound of the wasp nest. My head made a home for the hum of the insects. -
I Guess I Just Feel Like. -
This is old. But there’s a Blue Bird and Zion. And that’s a good combo, IMO. -
Nature pouring one out for the homies.
@djiglobal -
I mean, come on... 🤤
@sonyalpha -
“Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.” I had the chance to visit my favorite place on Earth (so far, at least) again yesterday. It’s life’s actual Campbell’s soup. It’s good for the soul. 😌 -
Lake Effect.
Acadia National Park // 2018
