Type Drawing
Tayen, my darling west highland terrier, passed away last Wednesday. I intended to fly back to see her one last time in two weeks, but unfortunately, she did not make it.
As a tribute, I made a type drawing. Starting with an outline of a westie, then drew the letterforms of adjectives. Adobe Capture enabled me to quickly turn my sketch into vector art. Fine edits were made in Adobe Illustrator.
I could sit and tweak projects like this for hours. I’m known to hyperfocus on tiny details. I deliberately limited myself to 30 minutes of editing to practice letting go and moving on.
It is difficult to accept that you will get better in time when we want so desperately to be good right now. But as God says, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5 ESV). Patience and perseverance are vital components of a satisfying and successful life.
In many ways, Tayen is why patience and perseverance are defining characteristics of my personality. While raising a puppy requires consistency and practice from me, Tayen exhibited unbelievable patience and persistence in her adult life. She would always quietly wait for me to get ready in the morning before going outside, and even though she was in constant pain during the last months of her life, she could still experience joy. I admire her.
Although I hope to be reunited in our afterlives, the fourteen years where I was blessed to be with her would be enough to last a million lifetimes. I am forever grateful for her and will never forget her sweetness, patience, cuteness, kindness, love, and gentleness.