The Keyboard Can Be a Lonely Place

Libby, the golden retriever, and Nella, the calico. 

Feels kind of funny to be at the computer without a cat trying to use the keyboard for a nap or a dog nudging her black wet nose against my arm for some petting.

Feels so funny, in fact, that I've been avoiding any writing for a while.

Our cat, Nella, died about a month ago, and our dog, Libby, died about two months ago. It's been a difficult transition. Lots of sadness. Learning new ways of doing things.

For example, sleeping in was never a possibility because those two took their jobs as alarm clocks very seriously. Plus, they didn't have snooze buttons. They HAD to be fed and let outside (well, Libby did, anyway).

There was no getting around exercise. Libby got three walks a day. Minimum. Do you know how much easier it is to blow off the gym than to not walk a dog? Tons easier.

Grief doesn't go away. It stays as part of us. Just as all the happy memories and experiences make up who we are, so do the sad and difficult ones.

Writing helps the transition, even though it's lonely at this keyboard.

Nella, my fur stole.