The Cat's Meow
It's been three months since my grief stricken post about losing my cat, Rocky. I miss her dearly and thought long and hard about whether or not to adopt another cat. Caring for a pet can get complicated for a stroke survivor. Adding more challenges to an already challenged life is cause for pause, for sure. The prospect of, again, changing a litter box, brushing an uncooperative cat, clipping claws. Heck, even opening a can of food with only one functional hand to work with all add up to the inevitable question, "am I really up for this?" When I think about it, that's the same question I have asked myself over and over again since the day I had my stroke, 20 years ago. When one is tired, feeling overwhelmed by the once simple tasks that have become difficult, as is often the case post-stroke, (even for a 20 year survivor), and perhaps one is flirting with depression as well, it is easy to lose sight of the joys and rewards that await us with the affirmative answer to the question posed a couple of sentences back, "am I really up for this?" Sometimes cajoling oneself into believing "of course, I'm ready for this" is what it takes to keep going. Just as I cajoled myself into answering, "yes, I AM up for this" when I made the decision to adopt Izzie and Augie, my two beautiful 4 month old kittens that have quickly become the joy of my life, challenges and all! "Yes, I am" is a good starting point.
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