October Has Begun

Although this web journal is mostly about being an OT in public schools, October is the perfect month to introduce you to someone near and dear to me--Galadriel.
Even though we have four cats and two dogs, Galadriel is the queen bee. She lurks in waiting behind a tree along the route my dogs take when it’s feeding time for the horses and cows, and she’ll lurch out from her hiding place with paw outstretched to bat my chocolate lab in the face. Galadriel knows her attack is unnecessary for my kinder, gentler english springer spaniel, but she must put Coco in her place on a regular schedule.
When I arrive home from work, Galadriel is waiting on the steps. As I collect the mountain of stuff I haul into the house each night she walks over to join me at the car. That means putting everything back in the car for a few minutes, but she must be held and petted.
Now that she’s fairly deaf her insistent meowing is quite loud, but all the better. She watches my face and sees my lips move, then meows in return to answer the same questions I’ve been asking her for over twelve years. “How are you, how was your day, did you catch any mousies today?”
This might be her last October since the vet said she has breast cancer. I watch her for signs of pain, but have to remind myself that animals don’t fuss about pain the way I do. They feel it, but they don’t analyze it or get anxious about what the future holds. They have things to do.
I hope you have a cat, or at least a dog or friends, who are there to listen to you at the end of the day. Someone you can ask the important questions of friendship, “How are you, how was your day, did you learn anything new today?”