Introduction to a dog lover without a plan
I am a biology pre-med major and have recently decided that medical school is not the path I want to take. I stressed over not having a plan the entire first semester and missed a lot of opportunities in school, work, and experiences. I have finally realized that it is ok to not have a plan, especially in this point of my young life. There can be so much pressure on young people to have some sort of plan when in reality stressing over having a plan can distract people from enjoying all parts of life! Anyways, I am working on finding what I am passionate about and have realized I really enjoy wildlife, science, and making people happy. Another large part of my life was my dog Roxie, she passed away recently but she had a very long (18 yrs) and very happy life. I could always count on Roxie to make me feel better and to be trotting behind me everywhere I go. Her life story is pretty shocking because she went through so much but always came back stronger, so I will share some of her experiences. She was hit by a car once and broke her ribs, while she was healing I would push her around the house and take her on walks with her in a stroller, which she loved so much. Anytime I would push my dolls in the stroller after that, she would run up, move the doll and hop in the stroller excited for a ride. A few years later she was dropped at the groomers and broke her back. She needed a surgery to survive, I remember being so scared I was going to lose my pup but of course she made it through and became her jolly self once again. She was her perfect self until she started to reach 18 years, which is when she began to have seizures. It was a difficult debate in my family whether she was in constant pain and needed to be put down or if she still had some life left. And of course, my Roxie would have a seizure, need rest for an hour or two then be right back up running around the house and playing with the cat. She lived each day of her life to the fullest, right up to the day she passed away. I have been through a lot but I had never felt the sadness of when she passed before, I miss her everyday and will always be thankful for the love and memories she gave me.
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| Roxie: The best girl |
Hello! I am so sorry for you loss. Roxie seems like she was very cute and playful, but most important she was a fighter. I definitely can relate to you not having a plan. A lot of times, I find myself planning every second of my day but forgetting to actually live in the moment. I wish you luck on your journey!
ReplyDeleteHey!! I’m sorry for your loss! It seems that Roxie was a wonderful, amazing and warrior! It is tough to lose a pet, but it appears that you had great memories with her! I hope you are alright. Yes and yes! Not having a plan is ok and normal! We are young and still have time to choose the right choice for ourselves! I’m sure you’ll find something you’re passionate about; good luck on this quest!
ReplyDeleteHi there! Welcome to the class! I really appreciate your outlook after having decided against medical school. I know from personal experience how scary it can be to not have a “plan.” I’m graduating this semester, and I’m not even sure if I have a plan, yet people keep asking me about it. I’m glad you’re focusing on finding out more about yourself and what you love. I really believe that if we live life in pursuit of those things, we’ll never really be lost. Thank you for sharing so much about Roxie! She seems like she was a great dog. I also recently lost my first family dog, Cassie, and I’m really just thankful for all the memories I had with her. It sounds like you had a lot of memories with Roxie, and she was very loved.
ReplyDeleteHey!
ReplyDeleteI totally understand that when it comes to picking a major it can be very stressful. I am a Senior, and I just changed my major once again. I stressed over not having a plan as well when I was just entering college. I also missed out on having a good college experience because I was constantly worrying about what my career plan should be. Also, I am so sorry for your loss! It must be very difficult without her. I recently got my first fur baby. His name is a Milo, and he is a yorkie. He is everything I ever wanted when I was younger. He was definitely worth the wait. I cannot wait to make more memories with him.
Hello there,
ReplyDeleteWhen I came to college I also debated between going down the pre-med path or doing something else. And I did not decide what I truly wanted to do until the end of my sophomore year. I also agree that there is a lot of pressure especially right when you graduate from high school to decide what you want to do. Bets of luck.
Hi Jessica! I just read your story where you used Roxie as a character, so now I understand where that name inspiration came from. Your dog Roxie seems much more kind-hearted than the Roxie in your story! I hope as you enjoy life over the rest of college that your career plans come into focus naturally so you do not stress over it. I think the balance of productivity and college fun is very important, and I am glad you are able to just go with the flow for now.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing about all your happy years with Roxie, Jessica! We've always had cats instead of dogs, and my very special cat, who was named Possum, died about a year and a half ago. I still think about her all the time, and it's even made it hard to think about getting another cat because she was a cat I somehow connected with in some deep way I can't even quite figure out. But somehow or other I'm sure another animal will come into our life and so a whole new phase of our life will start up again since it really changes everything, having an animal who is part of your family.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can totally endorse not having a plan, ha ha. I'm one of those people with a job that didn't even exist when I was in college. You never know how what you are learning will turn out useful, so I just highly recommend learning EVERYTHING you want to learn, follow every bit of curiosity and see where it leads you. Curiosity knows where to go, even when your conscious mind hesitates. :-)
Hello Jessica. Very sorry for your loss. From the sounds of it, Roxie lived a great life. As you stated underneath the picture of her, she definitely is the best girl! You also said that there is a lot of pressure for young people to have a plan and I find this to be very true. As long as you find something to do that you are passionate about, that is all that matters!
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica! I'm so happy to see that Roxie was such a good best friend to lean on and after reading your into I am very sad to see that she has been lost. I am an avid dog lover and I can relate so much to deep connections with your dog. I love that you know it's ok to not have a plan! That is something that I am working on myself and I can't say I have made it as far as you but I am trying my best. It is so great to see that you are finding your passion and I wish you all the luck in the world!
ReplyDeleteHey Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI am very sorry to hear about Roxy. I understand how big of an impact can a pet have in one's life. I have two dogs back home in India, and my older one is getting pretty old. I notice it so much more when I am home twice a year. I also had to rehome one of my dogs I had here in Norman as I could not take him to India with me due to some formalities. What is important is that Roxy had a great life. I also understand the pressure young people have, and yes not everything goes as planned. I am very happy for you as you're doing what makes you happy. Good luck with this class!
Hi Jessica!
ReplyDeleteI think it is really great that you have removed the pressure off of yourself to know exactly what you want to do. In college it does certainly feel like you are supposed to have it all figured out. But we are young and we have a lot of life left to live. It is totally okay if we do not know exactly what we want to do with all of the years ahead, so good for you for living the moment and allowing yourself to explore. As for your dog, I am so sorry for your loss. I am also a huge dog lover and a current dog mom of a one year old pup named Kodak. I know how much joy and healing dogs can bring into our lives, and I am sure that loss hurts. However, it is wonderful that you got so many years with her and learned so many things from her. Dogs really are the best friends we could ever ask for.
Hi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I wanted to say how sorry I am for losing Roxie. I understand how hard it can be losing something you hold so close to you. It seems as if you write about Roxie in good spirits though, so this is great news. As you said in your writing, there's absolutely no rush, but I hope you find your chose path in the near future!
Hi Jessica!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry about Roxie. From your stories, it sounds like she had many rough moments, but I can tell she was well-loved and lived a full life. She was a beautiful dog. I am about to graduate, and I also do not have a plan. I'm glad you have the mindset of that being okay; not knowing is stressing me out, but I have to remind myself that I am young and I have time, just like what you have told yourself. The way I see it, I would rather wait and take time to find something I am passionate about than hurl myself into a career that drains me, so good for you!
Hello Jessica! It is very nice to meet you, even if it is at the end of the semester! (And it is nice to meet Roxie as well, what a cutie!) It is definitely okay to not have a plan, especially when we are so young. I am graduating this semester with a degree in humanities and I have absolutely no idea what I want to do after. I hope this semester and this class have both treated you well and I wish you the best of luck on finals!
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica. I think that its actually pretty wonderful not to have a plan. While I have a pretty definitive idea of what I want to do, it can sometimes be constraining to have a path that you are on and then feel like you can't occasionally stray from. So, enjoy the freedom! I certainly have enjoyed the times when I have wandered off the beaten path.
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteBiology Pre-med, you must be a really smart girl. Not having a plan is completely normal at our age and I completely respect it. Most people that think they have a plan will realize sooner or later that they want to do something completely different. My advice to you would be to try a bunch of stuff. Roxy was a great dog and I am sorry she passed away. R.I.P
HI Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI love hearing about your life! I am so sorry for your loss of Roxie, my dog recently passed as well and I grew up with him and it was super painful. I hope you are doing okay, I know you were her whole world! I hope you are doing well and I hope your semester has been good! Looking forward to seeing more of your writing!