On Saturday we had to have our beloved Dachshund, Zing, put to sleep. He was completely paralysed and had lost all bowel and bladder function, due to several herniated disks. We have lost our surrogate child and our dear old friend and I don't think one ever really recovers from that. I'm not even sure that we want to.

This experience has reminded me of how very fragile these physical bodies are. Life truly teeters on a knife edge. With absolutely no certainty that we will have a tomorrow, how is it that we still have the courage to get up every morning and go about our day?

Perhaps by hiding the fact of our mortality from our conscious minds.

But now I'm making a conscious choice to remain present to the fact that every moment may be my very last. Zing's death reminds me to be present in my life. To wring every last drop of pleasure, joy, connection and learning out of this crazy, confusing, scary, wonderful experience that we call life.

And it reminds me to fiercely and fearlessly sing all my own unique songs, whilst I still can.

And so it is that, just a week after finishing the draft manuscript of my second book and sending it out to my first readers for input, I am starting to put together ideas for my third book. I don't want to leave this place without expressing all of the ideas jostling around inside my mind; inside my heart.

I don't want to leave any of my songs unsung.

And so, for this moment right now anyway, the journey continues.