met so many people and went so many places in the two remaining months of our trek that I had a difficult time determining what exactly was relevant to the story. I finally focused on the two endurance rides because I could then elaborate a bit on some of the more specific things that happened – like Pete’s getting the I know You Rider medallion at the event’s conclusion, and my again reconnecting with Raudi.
Another problem that I had was related to the nature of the subject matter, and the thoughts related to the death of a much-loved animal. Too much sentiment is bad. I tried to temper it by including salient detail. And it was hard because of the subject matter itself. Writing about Mr. Siggi repeatedly brought all the memories of the event of his death back to mind.
What’s important here is that I did, in the process of writing, come to some very important self-realizations. The first is that Mr. Siggi is no longer Ziggy Stardust. Rather, he’s just Stardust. This is both in the figurative and literal sense. The second is that I know he’s with us. So at night, when I go to tend to the animals, I say good-night to him. His passing has indeed brought to mind what before was just a passing thought. Mr. Siggi’s passing changed his own life and also changed Pete and mine. I cannot speak for Pete, but I now know that love and loss are inextricably linked.
Next: 209: 10/22/13: Young Dogs and Old Dogs |