On Omens

Striker

Omens can be bad or good. Here's an example of each. First the bad one. 

Before Striker, a black lab mix, I had Buddy, a golden lab mix. Buddy and I were returning from a camping trip to Hecla, our favourite place on earth, when we stopped at Winnipeg Beach for a break at their dog-friendly shoreline. We passed a man who was leaning against the base of the water tower. 

“Can I pet your dog,” he asked.

I nodded.  “Buddy loves attention.” 

“Such a beautiful dog.” The man smiled. “I had one very similar. They don’t live nearly long enough. Enjoy him while you can.” 

Buddy

Buddy had no known health issues, yet he died a month later. He didn’t live nearly long enough. Now Striker is 12 years old and slowing down. Dogs never live long enough.  

Now onto the good omen.

After one of my regular swims a few months back, I was relaxing in the sauna when a woman I hadn’t seen before came in. The sauna is usually a quiet place where we respect each other’s silence. But this woman was chatty. She shared how she’d survived breast cancer and that she was happy, strong and grateful to be back at the pool. It was a strange conversation … quite one-sided. I’d never met the woman before and I’ve not seen her since.

Turns out that now it’s me who has breast cancer and I start treatment tomorrow. Today, though, I go for my regular swim. It’ll be a while before I can go again, but hopefully, not too long. I can’t wait to meet that woman again. I’ll have something to tell her … about being happy, strong and grateful … and about omens.