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I don\u2019t always take calls in my car, but the call was from the friend I planned to have dinner with, so a brief conversation on when and where to meet seemed in order.<\/p>\nI don\u2019t always take calls in my car, but the call was from the friend I planned to have dinner with, so a brief conversation on when and where to meet seemed in order.<\/p>\n
Barely a few seconds after we exchanged greetings and referred to the unpredictable weather, making our first choice for dinner \u2014 eating carry-outs by the lake \u2014 not a viable option, Jesse began talking about having an \u201cunexpected” obligation.<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t ask to cancel or postpone, but I could tell something was on her mind besides whether we\u2019d pick up Thai or Mexican for our long overdue evening of catching up.<\/p>\n
Jesse dropped bits of information about the many things she was juggling; the proposals she delivered weeks before that were finally getting responses, confirmation that she had to start looking for a new place to live, and the latest news on her cat.<\/p>\n
As a single woman over sixty myself, I know how important it is to share your space with a dog or cat. I can\u2019t imagine life without having \u00a0a special friend who\u2019s always happy to see you, can easily bliss out on small displays of affection, and exercises an uncanny sense for when to leave you alone and when you need to walk away from your computer and play.<\/p>\n
As Carolina is FAMILY to Jesse, my dog, India, is FAMILY to me.<\/p>\n
For many months, her feline friend had been in decline. During periodic phone calls, I heard about just some of the things she did to extend thirteen year-old Carolina\u2019s life. Frequent vet visits, special food and medication, constant litter box cleaning, flattened out cardboard boxes and plastic laid around her dining table in case of accidents <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 all these things became part of their home life for months.<\/p>\n Jesse summed things up simply, \u201cI know this couldn\u2019t go on. She\u2019s down to almost five pounds. I checked with Anti-Cruelty to see what is involved in having them euthanize her. I have a 4:30 appointment for today.\u201d<\/p>\n While I knew Jesse came to her decision after a lot of thought, it also felt like she was still justifying the last 5% that wasn\u2019t ready to release the idea that she could do more.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure where the answer came from in me. This errand was certainly not one I expected to perform, but the words came without thinking.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll pick you up. You shouldn\u2019t have to drive. You have so much on your mind. Besides, you should spend whatever time you can giving Carolina your attention. I\u2019ll come by at 3:45.\u00a0 I will call when I\u2019m close. Hopefully, you can get her in her carrier.\u201d<\/p>\n We hung up. When I pulled up in front of her building, Jesse was already outside. As she got settled in the passenger\u2019s seat, she described how Carolina put up no protests about getting into the carrier, as if she wanted to make things easier for her.<\/p>\n Jesse placed the plastic box on her lap, lattice-side toward her face, explaining, \u201cSo she can see me.\u201d<\/p>\n Per some phone app, Jesse provided driving instructions to me while carrying on a conversation with Carolina.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re such a good friend. You\u2019re such a good kitty.\u201d<\/p>\n These affirmations, these words of love and gratitude continued throughout our drive, our check-in and appointment. In retrospect, I think Jesse used present tense and past tense interchangeably, as in \u201cYou\u2019re such a good friend, such a good kitty\u201d became \u201cYou\u2019ve been <\/strong>such a good friend, such a good kitty.\u201d<\/p>\n Jesse asked me into the procedure room, which I didn\u2019t expect. The staff was extremely respectful and caring. They explained the two-step process. They\u2019d take Carolina out to another room where they\u2019d give her a sedative then come back for the actual \u201cinjection\u201d and final goodbyes.<\/p>\n When they brought Carolina back, she was wrapped in a soft blanket. She looked so small. Calm, almost deliciously sleepy, as if curling up in front of the heating vent in Jesse\u2019s bathroom.<\/p>\n The vet tech was ever so gentle. Carolina didn\u2019t make a fuss. Jesse echoed the day\u2019s mantra.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re such a good kitty. You\u2019ve been such a good friend\u201d and sobbed for a few minutes when it was clear that the life force had left her cat\u2019s body.<\/p>\n On the drive back to her apartment, Jesse expressed being sad but also relieved. Her eyes were especially clear, like the sky after it rains.<\/p>\n She repeated how Carolina went into her carrier uncharacteristically easily. She thanked me for handling the transportation.<\/p>\n I felt so grateful myself for being able to be there, for being able to provide some level of service and for being able to share such an incredible moment of intimacy. I witnessed such vulnerability and unconditional love.<\/p>\n Surrounding yourself with such good friends is no small thing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I don\u2019t always take calls in my car, but the call was from the friend…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[632],"tags":[581,579,582,580,54],"class_list":["post-7009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-weekly-blog","tag-anti-cruelty-society","tag-carrier","tag-euthanize","tag-litter-box","tag-no-small-thing","grateful-dozen-belonging"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n