Nozomi passed away almost a year ago. Every so often I find it hard to believe how quickly the time has gone, but the feeling is always the same. She deserved a longer life and a better ending than what she received. I can only pray that all dogs truly go to heaven and she is at peace now. Every so often people will see my phone and remark that the dog they see is not Ayumi. I let them know that her name was Nozomi and that she was a very special friend.
The picture on the lock screen was taken on August 2nd, 2014 and it remains one of my most cherished photos. It was taken during a particularly difficult period, but it always brings a smile to my face. Nozomi's bright eyes and ever-present smile communicated everything I needed to hear. It still does. The photo on the main pages was taken six years later, on November 22nd, 2020. Nozomi was ten years old by this point and was quietly dealing with a medical condition that would not be diagnosed until four months later, when it almost killed her. For so much of her life, she was incredibly patient. She rarely put up a fuss and she looked forward to every opportunity to spend time with the people around her.
Her photos remain on the phone because I haven't yet been able to give her up to the past. Yes, Ayumi is also a special puppy with a special place in my heart, but she's not a replacement for Nozomi. Close friends cannot be replaced, nor should they be. But every so often I wonder if I should change the lock screen image for the first time since 2014, or the main image, which has been static since the day it was taken three years ago. Is it time to move on?
The answer is obvious, but the execution is difficult. Part of me knows that changing these images, which captured just a moment of tranquility with a good friend, would be akin to leaving much of the last 16 years in the past. Perhaps that's the thing I should be doing, but it's not the thing I want to be doing.