u/Fabulous_Potato_5012

Don’t mind my messy room. But if anyone has been keeping up on my posts you know Diesel is 16 and had all his teeth out April 2025. It was about a week and a half before my birthday. I used my birthday wish to ask for him to still be here for my next birthday. Well, he for sure is! But the strange thing is that he has more energy in the last month or so than he has had since he was about 8 years old? He doesn’t want to just lay around and cuddle anymore, he is insisting that I take him outside and we go explore and go for a walk or a drive and racing around half blind (scary). Running around constantly like a puppy, I took him for a walk the other day and I couldn’t keep up unless I jogged! He was galloping ahead on his short little legs like he had somewhere to be! We used to go for lots of little 1-2 mile runs when he was a puppy. But after having kids and stuff, both him and I slowed down a bit.

I don’t know if it’s that he’s finally healed and feeling that much better or that I’m doing more with him (now the kids are all in school so he gets to go to work with me, and we have more time to play) but his activity level has increased back to puppy age?? Is this concerning? I know with humans they tend to feel way better right before they decline severely. I don’t want to borrow trouble but don’t want to get my hopes up either. Anyone have any insight?

Edit- this was taken before Christmas. He’s been this enthusiastic and energetic since about then, which is why I recorded it because the last couple years he was only interested in cuddling, getting pet, and eating my dinner.

Here’s the context. I am 35, and I have three girls in elementary school. I am divorced and I moved to my current location to be close to my family before I filed for divorce so that I wouldn’t have to ship my (literal babies at the time) kids to another state for a custody arrangement. I met someone and we got married and his mom lived in the state we live in now. Ok great. Custody agreement where the kids see dad every other weekend, grandma and grandpa 30 mins away, step dads mom lives 30 mins away, dad lives 45 mins away- awesome.

3 years ago step dads mom passes away suddenly. The rest of his family is 16 hours away. But we can travel. My mom and dad live in the house I grew up in and are for sure going to stay there forever since I helped build that house and that’s OUR HOUSE. FOREVER since they built it from the ground up when it was a wheat field and it was my parents dream house. To retire in. So I thought.

My parents have been selling all thier stuff for about a year now. Trying to learn Portuguese and saying they want to leave the country. I figured they wouldn’t go through with it. My mom has my 88 year old grandmother that sort of depends on her now that my grandfather is gone. My brother lives in a different state but I moved here to be with them. My mom went to visit her mom and while she was gone my dad had a heart attack. Luckily I was close, went over, saw the signs of a cardiac event and brought him to the hospital, where they flew him to St Joes where he had a second grand maul heart attack and had 4 stints put in. Dr said if I hadn’t been there dad would be dead. Not to mention me being there for my mom when I was 9 months pregnant helping her recover from shoulder replacement and a million other things. My parents have always been there for me too. We’ve been a super tight family unit- me, my mom and my dad. My brother has always been kind of.. his own thing. Loves us but not so involved.

But recently my parents have decided they are moving to Portugal. My dad is 61. None of his family has lived past 73 at the highest. Longevity for his family has been 64-73. I feel so sad and betrayed that they want to go “live thier life” and it doesn’t include me or my kids, who I thought were like.. the point. They are moving this upcoming January. I am stuck here because of the custody agreement. Ex has to sign off on me leaving. He will absolutely never condone me leaving the country with the kids. I’m alone here now.

Footnote - I also have a 16 year old dog that is fading and has been my anchor since I was 19. He won’t be here much longer. Losing my parents and my dog in the same year seems especially cruel. I have been crying for a week. Any advice would help, except “tell them how you feel”- I have. They say sorry it’s hard for us too but we have to live our lives. Can’t sit around and wait for you guys to come visit. We want to go and be free.. essentially. In not those exact words.
Heartbroken, alone and existential dread don’t even begin to cover it.

Anyone’s senior get a “second wind” on life?

My 35f parents are leaving the country and I’m devastated