Moving On

I spent this morning on things which needed to be done. This meant a short walk to the doctors and a handful of phone calls to sort out my new benefit claim. My mum always says that there is nothing worse than ringing up a helpline and talking to a computer rather than a person. I disagree. It is far more irritating to ring up and talk to a person who actually sounds less human than a computer.

I was listening to a tarot podcast last night. All of the presenters admitted that it was difficult to not acknowledge the physical attributes of their clients and the subtle details that they provide us with in a session. It's part of human nature to notice. But one of the women said that she always keeps her head down to begin with and reads the cards, rather than the person, before opening up discussion. I found this interesting today, since I saw the man in the 8 of Cups as moving on, but couldn't fit him into my day. For that reason, I tried to think of any other way that he might make sense in this draw, rather than trust my instincts. It was only when my boyfriend turned up this evening that the card made sense.

Unfortunately, my boyfriend's family had to put their fifteen year old dog down today. His health has deteriorated in the year that my boyfriend and I have been together and we have not been able to leave him alone for too long at a time. The 8 of Cups is his passing, and the 2 of Swords represents a decision that the family didn't want to make, but had to.

I loved Lenny. Out of all the dogs I have met, he had a really gentle nature and a strong personality. I won't forget hearing his feet trotting through the hallway when I am in bed or catching him with his nose in the recycle bin. But despite the sadness, he did have a good and long life. He loved his family - my boyfriend's parents, his siblings, and all of the grandchildren - and they loved him too.

Illustrations from The Universal Waite Tarot by Pamela Coleman Smith, coloured by Mary Hanson Roberts