Stress relief with a sledgehammer.
Corona arrived home in one piece and was tucked in behind the house so the neighbors wouldn’t be subjected to her beauty. Quarantine was settling in and life was changing quickly in the world. We were diving into something completely out of our wheelhouse. The next morning, we stepped into the cold, dark, musty space in anticipation and evaluated our new addition. For the first time I noticed the small strip of wallpaper border of Labrador Retrievers lining the wall above the dinette. A sigh of relief came over me and I smiled because as a pet owner of two labs, they were close to my heart. In addition to my birth year, this could be another sign that this was meant to be. What hadn’t realized was that in just three days we would be facing the heart-wrenching decision to say good-bye to our beloved chocolate lab. Maybe this new path we were undertaking was his last gift to us.
Gutting - or in the world of vintage trailers, disassembling - became both a stress reliever and a grief counselor. You can unpack a lot of personal baggage with the swing of a sledgehammer. This project oddly came at the perfect timing to be facing a sudden loss and dealing with the apprehension of an uncertain future. In provided the opportunity to feel a sense of control of our future. So over the next few weeks we immersed ourselves in the damp cold of late winter engulfed in dust, dirt, mold and insulation. Ironically, this felt safer to breathe than the impending silent killer that was overtaking the media. Stripping Corona down to her skin and bones was therapy and once the years of who she had been were removed it was time to enroll in YouTube University.
And with time, trust and a deep breath the rebuilding began. Just as life felt like it was falling apart.
In our hearts,
Toberlone
2009-2020
“To call him a dog hardly seems to do him justice, though inasmuch as he had four legs, a tail and barked. I admit he was, in all outward appearances. But to those who knew him well, he was a perfect gentleman.”
