"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" - Mary Oliver
To my Pet Lovers Tribe,
I am relieved that 2025 is over.
It has been the most challenging year of my life so far.
Nursing my Mother, with whom I shared a very strong, loving relationship, who was going through rapid dementia, and within 5 months, she transitioned before my eyes.
Coming back home to Hong Kong after all that time and seeing my beloved Golden Retriever of 16 years being diagnosed with cancer, caring for him and having him transition too in my arms, was just too much for my heart to bear.
My closest friends could only console me to a certain degree.
With my therapy and my Spiritual practice, I was able to put one foot forward and get through the day.
Something within me was deeply wounded, and my heart broke.
Feelings of deep sadness, loss, loneliness, fear, and anxiety took over my thoughts continuously during the day. I slowly found comfort in Nature.
But my biggest support through these times were my 5 doggiez.
They watched me without judgment.
They nursed me back to my Self.
Their unconditional love, compassion, empathy, and patience were what made me wake up from my nightmare and draw open the curtains of my bedroom.
I am sure many of you have experienced grief.
I am sure many of you have found the same comfort from your Pets.
They are God’s Angels.
And most of the time their worth goes unnoticed.
It is still a Journey that I am attempting to learn from.
And in the meantime, I know what I want to do with my one wild and precious life.
I want to delve more into the Human and Animal Bond.
I want to understand them better.
They hold the answers to what we as Humans lack the most: Love and Connection.
May you all have a Blessed New Year 2026
Warm Hugs,
Nita Daryanani
Founder & CEO of NYP Holistic
My dear Nita,
Your poem was so beautiful and touching. I am so sorry you have had such a hard time this past year with so much loss. Whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, so they say. I know you are coming back to yourself and will be even more committed to our beloved doggie friends, with such great work that you do.
Sending lots of love to you,
Barbara