Thanks Dropsie.
I was thinking about Otto a lot today, and was watching rottweiler training videos to mentally prepare for the task of a new puppy. Damn it's gonna be harder at 57.
I took a friend to the symphony (Beethoven's 4th and 5th Piano Concertos at the Walt Disney Concert Hall) on Friday, which was breathtaking. Speaking to him really puts grief into perspective. He's about 10 years younger, and last December lost his wife after a 4 1/2 year battle with glioblastoma multiforme, a particularly awful form of brain cancer. They've been together for over 30 year and were really each other's first loves. His level of grief is nearly beyond comprehension to me.
We talked a lot about the need to be in a group that understands, so hopefully he'll get some grief counseling. I know that in early recovery I really needed AA to speak with people that had been through what I was going through. Nobody who hasn't actually been in recovery really understands what it does to you, both difficult and good.
Thanks to all for your kind words about Otto. It's not nearly at the level of what my friend is going through, but it still hurts.
And I won't drink over ANY loss at this point. Just gotta feel the feels.