A few days ago I read a blog post of Joe McNally's that really hit a spot in my emotional psyche. Joe is one of the photographers / people I look up to and have followed for a while - and who writes as well as he photographs. About 4 months ago I lost Indi my German Shepherd due to an extremely aggressive case of meningitis. She went from being normal, happy & full of life, to being placed in an induced coma within 24 hours. She was only three and a half years old. Outside of my wife, she was my best friend - she seemed to understand me on a much deeper level than most people did. I could always count on her to provide me with inspiration when working on something at home or away, whether that be photography or paperwork... whatever. She would often watch over me in a sense, sleeping on the couch in the study where I am often working late at night. I still expect to see her now when I look over my shoulder...
I still don't understand why this happened the way it did. There were no warning signs. She was young, fit & healthy. She was one of the nicest natured animals you are ever likely to have met, in fact she often gave people a completely different view of German Shepherds after they met her. Life just sucks sometimes.
Looking to the positive side, I am very privileged to have known her for those three and a half years (had her since eight weeks old). She taught me a lot - without the need for one single spoken word. She is still teaching me. I thankfully have hundreds, maybe thousands even, of pictures of her. I have one hundred times that in precious memories, which have now become priceless. At my shop, she has become the face of 'Hub Photo Shop' to many as I have more framed pictures of her up than anything else. I have never sold one picture of her, and don't intend to, they are there purely to make the frames look good (and to keep me company if I am being honest). Since she has been gone, it has been hard answering questions about her pictures in the shop to people that don't know the story but in a strange way it has been good therapy too. I'm sure there would be many more questions if I were to suddenly remove all those pictures. Not many people know that she, and my previous Shepherd Elle, are the reason behind the 'running dog' graphic in my logo - they are a part of me, and I wanted to make that a permanent part of my photography in some way.
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| 1st birthday |
I have written this as part of a healing process I guess.
It hasn't been easy, and has brought back tears that I thought I was past. It has also made me recall plenty of happy moments too, which I am eternally grateful for. She will always be alive in my heart & my mind, as will the wisdom she left for me, and the inspiration she provided me.
Thank you my friend, and may you rest in peace. One day we will walk together again I am sure.
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| young Indi & me |
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| a favourite spot |
Wow... I think mate, you need to not underestimate how well you write.
ReplyDeleteI never got to know Indi the way I did Elle so I don't believe I had fully appreciated just how much she meant to you... which is to say I new she meant a lot, was a close companion and that that was an underestimate.
My wish for you, is that you heal fast.
Enough said.