Resiliency

Isolation Lock Down Day # _____ (Who the Hell Knows)?

 

As a veteran introvert, I didn’t write down on the calendar the date we here in WA State were officially “locked down” and told to stay home and isolated because I was already doing that.

 

I’ve been in isolation for pretty close to three weeks, although I didn’t officially declare that.  I stopped doing outings as soon as I heard the virus was in Seattle (not Kirkland, Seattle.)

 

The things that continue to irritate me in lock down are the things that irritated me before (those of you who follow this blog know what they are) but some of the things that upset me before don’t upset me as much (because I understand why they cannot happen for a while longer), and some of the things that didn’t bother me much bother me more. There are very few of those. Here are two, both of them critter-related.

 

Velcro Kitty (Charli). She seems to be uncommonly “clingy” these days.    She isn’t spayed yet (good luck with that–I’m not going out and having that done during this crisis) so maybe she’s in heat, but it has gotten to where she needs “lovies” about three times an hour–not just mindless holding or petting while I concentrate on writing or reading, but serious one-on-one  attention as in, “Stop doing everything else you’re doing and just be MINE–all MINE!!!!”

 

When it gets to be too, too much, I drop her to the floor. (I’m nearly always sitting in a chair except when out walking or doing other chores, so this is a three-foot “drop” max.) . She usually comes right back, not yet convinced I’m serious about claiming some quality alone time, but if I persist in dropping her to the floor more than three times in succession followed by a “no!”, she finally gives up and settles above my head on my chair and falls asleep. Victory! She’s asleep right now immediately behind my head as I type this.

 

Unwelcome Ear Piercing. Last night, Patches jumped onto my bed while I was fast asleep (momentarily) and managed to punch a hole with one claw into the fleshy part of my outer ear that looks like a little bulb (what’s that called? Tragus? Antitragus?), causing it to gush like a geyser for what seemed to be the better part of two minutes until I could stanch the flow with a piece of toilet paper after washing it with an antiseptic.

 

The instant it happened, I cursed a mighty curse, which scared her but didn’t send her away. She settled down next to my pillow to purr (“not my circus, not my monkeys”), disavowing all responsibility in the matter, bless her heart, because she certainly didn’t mean to do it, and there was zero need for her to feel guilty!

 

(Hah! As if a cat ever felt guilty of anything! Dogs do, but cats? Never! They take ownership of their actions, with pride!  “Small flower arrangement? Not a problem. Off onto the ground it goes. See how clever I am? How proactive? See this initiative I have just demonstrated? Yes! I AM CAT!!!!  Master of all I survey–and can knock over…”)

 

It’s impossible for me to stay mad at cats.  Or dogs. Or goats. Or (add your favorite critter.) Impossible.

 

People, I can stay mad at for hours… days… weeks… months… years… on rare occasions.

 

Which is at least partly why I’m an introvert and an animal person.  Animals seems to bring out the best in me, even when they’re pains in the ear or neck. I can forgive them at warp speed. They’re usually blameless. (Sometimes they’re clueless, but that doesn’t bother me as much as when a person who can read and do research and has all their faculties remains clueless despite abundant evidence to the contrary.)

 

But let’s not go there today. I’m too happy feeling the way I do right now to want to spoil it by turning on my curmudgeon.

 

My resiliency is showing. When I’m able to shut down the hamster-and-wheel that runs my brain and just feel blessed and happy despite the trying situation we all find ourselves in, that’s resiliency showing up.  It’s hope coming to the fore.

 

It’s feeling certain that this lock down won’t last forever, and that we will all wake up one day unburdened of this nightmare we’re inhabiting right now.

 

Of course, that’s all up to us and to what we do right now in the next few weeks and months. As long as we stay safe, vote intelligently (based on what we know now about how willing our respective parties and representatives are when it comes to addressing our most urgent needs), and embrace this opportunity to realize that we’re all in this boat together… even though we’re all at least six feet apart right now.

 

A new day will dawn… one with the very real possibility of redeeming what seemed irredeemable just a few weeks ago.

 

Pay attention to what the candidates are saying and doing FOR YOU. 

Those are the bread crumbs to follow right now.

WHO HAS YOUR BACK???

(Also read what “the other side” is saying about the people you think are doing a good job. Are they pulling out red herrings or fear mongering to confuse you, or are they actually talking facts and how they would/will do it better? Don’t stay in your usual information bubbles, in short. You will be voting in a few months; do it out of an abundance of knowledge, not based on selective hearing/reading. Be a skeptic of your own favorite “talking heads”.)