Ep2: Youth Views - Embracing...

Season #1 September 06, 2024

+ Recommended for all age groups and advised to view/listen with a parent and/or guardian if you are under the age of 13.*

Meet our little Srae /Seh-rAH/ - little yellow animated character in the videos.

In this Episode 2 on The Final Mile Podcast, Emma and Sawyer dive into a discussion about embracing the end of life. They share personal experiences about loved ones and pets, and explore methods for healing and find peace after loss. This episode encourages listeners to contemplate the importance of cherishing moments and embracing the different stages of life.
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[00:00:00] - Emma, What does Embracing End of Life Look Like to You?
[00:00:57] - Sawyer, Do You Have Any Experiences with Embracing the End of Life?
[00:01:42] - Emma's Senior Dog and Heading Off to College
[00:02:56] - Sawyer's Senior Dog and Heading Off to College
[00:03:55] - Methods in the Healing Process
[00:05:10] - Episode's Take Home Message, Question, or Challenge
[00:05:28] - Episode 2 Closing & Thank You!

You may also watch this episode with Emma and Sawyer on YouTube at https://youtube.com/@thefinalmilepodcast

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Emma's loving 22 year old senior animal, Cassie, who passed away just a bit over a month of recording Episode 2 where Emma talks about her. 💝

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RESOURCES:

What is Animal Hospice, Natural Death, and Euthanasia-assisted Death (EAD)?
Please click here to learn more at Animal Hospice Group.

You may find some useful emotion wheels for kids, children's therapy resources and emotional well-being, emotions and feelings activities, and ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) Mindfulness on Etsy by clicking here.

Animal Hospice Group Co-founder, Dr. Amir Shanan DVM, and his veterinary care team have listed some helpful tips and solutions to "Helping Children Cope With Loss." Please visit: https://pethospicechicago.com/hospice-articles/helping-children-cope-with-loss

Also, here is a good blog article about "How to Talk to Young Kids About Death" written by Dr. Sarah Kerr, PhD with The Centre for Sacred Deathcare. Please visit: https://sacreddeathcare.com/how-to-talk-to-young-kids-about-death
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* DISCLAIMER: The statements in the episodes have not been evaluated by a child psychologist, family psychologist, grief therapist, or veterinarian. This podcast is NOT intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical, mental, or behavior issues in animals or humans. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional if you feel like you, your child, or companion animal needs help. The content on our website is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or to replace a relationship with a qualified healthcare professional and/or veterinary care professional.

Episode Transcript

Episode 2: Embracing...
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[00:00:00] Emma, What does Embracing the End of Life Look Like to You?
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Sawyer: Hi everyone, I am Sawyer.

Emma: And I'm Emma.

Sawyer: And on today's episode, we're going to be talking about embracing the end of life. And before we begin, Emma, how are you today?

Emma: I'm good. How are you doing?

Sawyer: I'm good as well. All right. Our question is going to be, what is embracing end of life look like to you?

Emma: I think embracing end of life means not hiding from it and pretending like it's not happening because a lot of people compartmentalize it and then just push it to the side. And that actually ends up making the end-of-life process more difficult because you're not getting to spend like the valuable time with them at the end and getting to make their end of life as much as like good as possible for them.

Sawyer: Agreed, yeah.

[00:00:57] Sawyer, Do You Have Any Experiences with Embracing the End of Life?
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Emma: What do you think, do you have any experiences with embracing the end of life?

Sawyer: Yeah. So I agree with what you said about taking advantage of those like last opportunities that you might have is definitely important. And I can remember there were a couple of times, one for my grandmother and then one for my grandfather, where everyone knew it was getting towards the end and went to visit them before they passed. I remember from my grandmother, I went and played a song on my ukulele for her next to her hospital bed. And then, actually, I think it was a couple times. And then, for my grandfather, before he passed, my family went and visited him as well. So, yeah.

Emma: That sounds really nice.

Sawyer: Yeah.

[00:01:42] Emma's Senior Dog and Heading Off to College
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Emma: So, um, I know that you have a senior dog at home and that we're also seniors and that we're gonna be heading off to college soon, just here in a few months. So how does that make you feel when you know you're gonna head off to college?

Emma: Well, it's definitely a little bit scary because she's pushing 22 years of age, which is pretty old. And you can tell that she's starting to develop dementia and all that. So it's scary thinking that she might not remember me when I go, but I know that the time before I go is going to be super valuable with her. And even if she doesn't remember it, I'll cherish the time that I spend with her.

Sawyer: How are you going to cherish the time?

Emma: Just by making sure I spend as much time as possible with her and taking her out for walks when she can and laying with her and just...she really likes to just have someone with her at all times. Makes her feel more comforted and safe. I just want to have her present moments to be good for her.

Sawyer: Nice. Thanks.

[00:02:56] Sawyer's Senior Dog and Heading Off to College
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Emma: So do you have any pets at home that you're leaving when you head off to college?

Sawyer: Yeah, I have a 10-year-old Australian cattle dog. And although he's not all the way to the senior age, he's kind of approaching them and it's sad to know that. So I have four other siblings with me at home, but I'm the youngest. So when I leave for college, knowing that no one else is going to be able to give them attention makes me feel a little sad and a little worried. And also that maybe next time I see him and then come back from school or yeah, next time, like when I go to school, the next time I come back from college, as he like, ages, that he might not be able to do the same stuff that he can now, so I think this summer before college, really embracing like, that he's still able to do all this stuff, like go to the dog park, chase a, like chase a ball, like go on walks, all this stuff, will be really important, cause I never, I'll never know when he will not be able to do that stuff anymore, so.

Emma: Yeah.

[00:03:55] Methods in the Healing Process
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Sawyer: Okay, Emma. So as we talked about, embracing is an important part in the healing process. And so I was wondering if you had any methods that you've used or that you have to progress with the healing process.

Emma: Yeah. So I think a huge part of the healing process is embracing the life, not only up to their death, but also after their death. So I know my grandparents and my family, when an animal dies, we create a whole, it's a three day ceremony where they sit on ice and they're surrounded by like crystals and flowers and teddy bears. And it's just like all things that are supposed to comfort them and allow the spirit to pass to bring them peace and I feel like it also brings us peace because it's not, they're being taken away from you so quickly. You can actually kind of just like come back and see that they're at peace and it kind of eases my mind at least.

Sawyer: That's really nice. That's really nice.

Emma: Yeah.

[00:05:10] Episode's Take Home Message, Question, or Challenge
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Sawyer: So once again, at the end of our episodes, we like to leave you all with a question or challenge that you can ponder about or do on your own time. So Emma, what is our challenge for today's episode?

Emma: Today's challenge is to come up with one new method that you can implement into your healing process.

Sawyer: Great question (challenge).

[00:05:28] Episode 2 Closing & Thank You!
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Emma: Thank you for tuning in to this episode of The Final Mile Podcast.

Sawyer: [Music playing in background] And remember that life isn't about the things that happen to you, it's about how you embrace them. Thank you.

Emma: Bye.

Ep2: Youth Views - Embracing...

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Ep2: Youth Views - Embracing...

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