It’s been a rough 2024 for me so far, and I’m done with it. But, I don’t want to be mired in the negatives, so I’m going to recount the good things that have happened so far.
One. Shadow is alive and healthy. He’s old and cranky, and he definitely has old man cat body and sensitivities, but he is still with me. I remind myself of this when some of his quirks (like his food pickiness) get on my nerves. He still cuddles with me. He can still walk on his own. He still jump with ease. He’s nearly 18 and still able to be an independent cat.
When he got sick at the end of 2022, and I took him to the vet for the first time in a decade, they ruled out kidney issues, urination issues, and cancer. They said he was losing his eyesight, but he would not completely lose it for several years. It turned out to be a cat cold, and after ten days of giving him antibiotics by mouth (that was NOT fun), he’s fine!
Except for the eating thing. He used to eat the same food all the time. Now, he won’t eat that food, and it’s a gamble what he will or won’t eat at any given meal. But, he will eat. And twice as much as he used to. (He had and still has dry kibble in a bowl that he can eat at any time. He barely eats it now that I give him more wet food.) I have to remind myself that he’s not doing it on purpose and try to be patient with him.
Two. My new (to me) laptop. It’s banging. I didn’t realize how much I was nursing my old laptop along until I got this one. It’s faster, has crisp graphics, and it’s just a dream. I did not understand how much I had been just putting up with my old laptop until I got this one.
Something something getting used to a hard life something something. It really is the ‘boiling frog’ (that has been disproven, but whatever) thing where you just used to things getting shittier bit by bit until suddenly, you realize it’s terrible.
I mean, that’s life, right? You get used to whatever you have because things don’t usually change suddenly. I mean, it’s similar to how if you get promoted and make more money, your lifestyle gradually changes. K and I have talked about it. She’s from working class roots and then worked as an admin assist when I knew her. She and her hubby were barely making ends meet, living paycheck to paycheck. We went out once a month for dancing and drinks. She was very thrifty with a penny, and she was very conscious of every cent she spent.
She and her hubby had one car that was ancient, but they made it work. Then, she got her Masters of Education while working sixty hours a week (two jobs). I cannot tell you how much I admire her and what she’s done with her life. She became a teacher at an alternative school. Then she worked her way up to the ‘principal’ of the school.