There is a book called Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. In this book, described by the author as “an extended argument for giving up hope”, Oliver Burkeman points out that the typical human lifespan in developed countries equates to a mere four thousand weeks. Burkeman uses this as an impetus to encourage people to focus on the most essential parts of their life—spending time with loved ones, engaging in meaningful activities, and making a difference in other people’s lives.

Some of my loved ones are humans. Some of my loved ones are not humans.

Consider my dogs. I have two beautiful rescue dogs, each of whom is some type of staffy cross. They have significant health and behavioural challenges, and they are a lot of work. But they are the two beings I love the most in the world.

The average lifespan of a staffy cross is about ten years. Forget four thousand weeks; this mean that each of my dogs has a mere five hundred weeks. Roughly speaking, my dogs are currently aged 6 and 4. This means they each have a mere 250 weeks of expected time remaining.

It is also important that there are two of them. If I am out of the house for 1 day, this equates to 2 dog-days that I will never get back. If I take a 1-week holiday or work trip overseas, this equates to 2 dog-weeks that I will never get back. Of course the exact arithmetic will depend on your own circumstances, and adding elderly loved ones such as parents and relatives might make your time look even more valuable.

Certainly, it is important to leave the house! If I were home 24/7, my mental health would suffer (trust me—I’ve tried!).

But when I consider not my own lifespan but the lifespans of my two favourite gumnuts, suddenly many pursuits look much less important—this is the joy of missing out.

Now, that’s enough writing; I’m off to spend time with my dogs.