The Winds of Change
Welcome back, my friends. It has been months since our last update - months spent adrift in Perth with no clear way forward - but the time has come at last. We are finally off to Europe. The path to this point has been a labyrinth of dead-ends and strange turns, and it is this path that I shall map out for you now.
When last we spoke, Pumbaa had just been dropped off at the mechanic and we were sitting around, twiddling our thumbs and hoping for the best. Well, after weeks of waiting and multiple check-ins, the mechanic gave us the bad news: they couldn’t source some of the parts needed to fix Pumbaa. We already knew that we wouldn’t have time to find the remaining parts ourselves and wait around for him to be repaired, which left only one option: sell him on to someone who would have the time to get him fixed. With heavy hearts, we got him back home, and set about cleaning him up for his ‘For Sale’ photoshoot.
Gentle exfoliation is key to healthy skin
Once the listing was up, we waited. Days went by, and no-one messaged. The initial listing price was already a steep loss for us, but it was still too high for a bus that couldn’t be driven off. Eventually, after reducing the price even further, people started arranging to come and see him. We showed him off, giving a tour of all his features and listing all the extra kit that was part of the package. It really was a great deal, but it was naturally going to feel like a risk. Finally, we met a lovely young couple seeking to outfit a bus themselves. The guy was a mechanic, and all looked promising. In the end, though, they just couldn’t take the chance. They had seemed like the perfect fit, and loved everything about Pumbaa, so their decision - though understandable - hit us hard.
All was not lost, however, and things have a funny way of pulling together. The young couple were renting a room with a mother and daughter in the suburbs, and they told them all about Pumbaa. The mother-daughter duo liked the idea of a bus for roadtripping up and down the coast, and contacted us to come see Pumbaa for themselves. They loved him, and, after a tour and a quick chat, decided they would take him. We were thrilled: Pumbaa had found his people, and we were moving, once again, towards our European adventure. There was only one remaining problem, and one that seemed even more impossible to solve: Sabre couldn’t come with us.
Saying goodbye to Pumbaa
You see, in Germany - and many other places in Europe - certain ‘bully breeds’ are not allowed, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is one such breed. I spent most of my time in Perth putting off facing this fact, but the time had come. We looked at every option and explored every avenue to get him looked after. My mum and her partner couldn’t take him on long-term, and no friends were in a position to help. The weeks dragged on, with no hint of a solution in sight. Then, one day, we got a message.
Well, we got several messages, actually. When things start to happen, they all seem to happen at once, and this was no different. Within a few days, we had multiple people lined up to meet Sabre. We had two couples over, in the end: a younger couple, about our age; and an older couple, entering into retirement and wanting to bring a dog into their lives. The latter saw Alessandra’s post outlining the situation on the local community group. Each immediately loved Sabre, and we arranged second meetings; yet, after meeting them, we decided in favor of the older couple. Kim and Jenny lived just down the road, had experience with dogs, and would be able to give Sabre plenty of time, attention and love. They seemed just right. Sabre was relaxed and happy when they were around, and I found myself becoming more and more comfortable as we got to know them. When they committed to taking care our beautiful pup, we started planning out a gradual transition, with plenty of meet-ups, walks and play dates. Before we found someone, it broke my heart to even think about going on an adventure without him. Now, though, I feel confident that he will be well-loved and taken care of while we’re gone.
Going to miss this goofball
You would think that this would have meant all obstacles had been overcome - that the way would be clear - but, as with any proper adventure, there was one final, terrible hurdle to overcome. I got the results for my most recent PET scan back: there were hotspots everywhere - neck, spine, brain, liver. It looked like the cancer had come back in a big way. I had to have several follow-up scans in the following weeks: a torso PET scan; a brain MRI; an ultrasound and biopsy of the neck. There was a period of agonised waiting. Then, it was the day of the results. My oncologist looked over the reports, and gave us the news: nothing. No indications of recurrence in any of the areas that had been active in the August scan. The affected areas were too different to be explained by a single illness or injury, so she could not even guess at why so many different areas were hyperactive - or how they could have all returned to normal within weeks (note: Alessandra has asked me to add here that she gave her birthday wish in asking for the scans to come back clear; and that this is the sole reason for their doing so). To be safe, a follow-up PET scan has been recommended in three months’ time - rather than the usual six. Luckily, it looks like I can have that in Germany. It is a good thing, I think, to be reminded of my mortality right before our next adventure. It is as though I am being reminded: ‘all of this can be taken away. Don’t forget. Make the most of it.’
It’s my brain!
All of that brings us to the present. We have bought our plane tickets to Frankfurt for the 30th of October. It is difficult to let ourselves feel excitement just yet, after so many delays and false hopes. Sabre will be fully given over as of the 27th and, though it is still painful to imagine being without him, we are making the most of our remaining time together.
What more have we learned through all this? It is hard to say, exactly. Still, we must try to glean what we can:
More clear than ever is this: knowledge, clarity and certainty are critical for progress. If you do not know what could happen - or when - then you cannot plot a path forward. To have a path, you must know where the obstacles are, and where the way is open.
There are two facets of life: work and play. Work (which can be self-development as much as employment) involves purpose, direction and progress; whereas play involves enjoyable exploration. The former is pointed and focused; the latter, diffuse and meandering. Ideally, both are in balance. However, if, at any point in life, you cannot support one, the other must be well attended to. What I mean is this: if there are no opportunities for play, there must be a strong sense of purpose, direction and progress in work - and this sustains us through this period. If there is no sense of purpose, direction and progress, there must be plenty of enjoyable exploration (variety of activities, driven by curiosity) - this, too, can sustain us for a time. Our struggle in Perth has been that we have had neither a sense of progression, nor variety of play and exploration. We have been stagnant on both fronts, and that is debilitating. We have acknowledged this of late, and are now taking steps to find direction and variety while we are here.
No matter how hopeless things may feel, keep going. It is in persevering that we make it through to the other side.
Birthday wishes actually work. Use them well!
