The Modern Day Caveman

What should have been a fairly low-key Thursday after a few busy days ended up being a rather eventful one.

The morning started with my dad taking Mollie (my parents’ Border Collie) out for their usual walk. I was on an early work Teams call when I was disturbed by raised voices and the mention of “hospital” from my parents.

Long story short, it turns out my dad was having some chest pains and ended up going to the doctors, before then heading on to the hospital.

Thankfully, all was fine (thank god!) and he returned home with my mum later that day. He’s been referred to a specialist for further tests, but hopefully it’s nothing too serious.

So, my morning was a little more stressful than I expected, but the rest of the day was fairly smooth – work was productive and I got a few things on my to-do list done.

That was until I went on my walk to “The Mountain Ahead.” I’ve not mentioned this previously, but a few weeks ago Mollie was diagnosed with a heart murmur.

She’s doing well for an 11-year-old (77 in dog years) and has thankfully been absolutely fine lately – her usual playful and mischievous self these past few weeks.

However, on our descent from the summit, she started walking extremely slowly and looked laboured, as if she’d hurt her paw or was feeling some discomfort. She began waddling as I walked, and I had to coax her along rather than the other way round like usual.

I knew something was wrong, so I called my mum to come and pick us up, just to be certain given her recent diagnosis.

We got home and thankfully she seemed okay. She definitely wasn’t herself, but things didn’t seem too serious.

This moment of self-pity was extremely short-lived though, because about 10 minutes after being home she had the zoomies and was sprinting around the house – actually knocking my laptop off the table and nearly smashing it.

Honestly, I think I’ll miss her more than anyone when I move to York. She’s been my best friend these past few weeks and I’ve loved having her by my side. Of course I’m looking forward to seeing my own dog, Chase, but it can’t be understated how much a part of the family – and my life – she really is.

Metrics

• Steps: 7,772
• Garmin Stress Score: 19
• Mental Health Rating: 7/10
• Remaining Debt: £39,781.83

Food Log

• Breakfast: Weetabix, milk
• Lunch: Poached eggs, toast
• Dinner: Poke bowl (Quorn, sweetcorn, rice, avocado, edamame, pepper, butternut squash)
• Snacks: Banana, Kitkat, sweets, ice cream

Today was draining in ways I didn’t see coming, but it also left me feeling grateful. Relief, perspective, and a reminder that the people (and pets) we love can ground us more than anything else.