Length and contribution have almost nothing to do with each other. Something occupying a small share of your years can still change the feel of all of them, which is true of animals and also of people who were only around for one season. The shortness is not a discount on what happened. It only means the good part arrived compressed.

Spend real time with whoever in your life is on a shorter clock than you are. The old dog, a grandparent, a friend who is moving away in June. An unhurried hour with them is worth more than the same hour spent almost anywhere else.