Dialing For Dollars Is Trying to Find Me

Mercedes Benz, Janis Joplin

Before I get into whatever this blog is really about...

Q. Why would you buy a Lexus, (a.k.a. a pricey Toyota), when you could buy a Mercedes Benz (a.k.a. a perfectly awesome piece of German machinery)?

A. Because you're a schmuck.

Now that we have that out of the way, let's move on to something relatable, because I sure as shit can't afford either of those vehicles and neither can you.

Our economic stimulus checks arrived just in time to pay for an unexpected, astronomical vet bill. (Just doin' ma part to keep 'Merica goin'!) Zoe went downhill over the weekend. She had a reaction to what was probably "degranulation of the tumor" and swelled up like a balloon. The vet informed us the situation was life-threatening and she needed to be hospitalized. It was quite upsetting. She has since been released. The swelling is slowly going down and more meds are being given. We're in wait-and-see mode, though so far the prognosis seems manageable.

I realize my pets are elderly and will die soon. I accept this, because this is what is. Life and death go hand-in-hand. And aside from the fact I don't believe death is the end but merely a change, and that everything is everything, I think to resist acceptance of this reality is not only a disservice to yourself, it's a renunciation of all the other wonderful things we take from living.

I know, one minute I'm dropping the F-bomb and the next I'm spouting off Eastern philosophies. But this is my reality, and I'm not tailoring it so it fits more comfortably for you. And I should hope you do the same.

What I worry about more is being put in a position where the choices I have to make with my pets are less clear. Either let the dog suffer miserably, or put the dog to sleep. Either spend your life savings or let your dog die. These are tough problems but with relatively clear answers. But what do you do when the choice is to spend a chunk of money that you can afford and the prognosis is undetermined, not necessarily life-threatening?

I don't have an answer. I just try to make choices that allow me to sleep at night.

******

On a much happier note, we've been invited to a soiree this evening that includes free food and free beer from my second favorite brewing company. Since B's hours have increased at work, I've been spending many an afternoon here, waiting for my carpool. It's like I'm becoming a regular, which I haven't been anywhere since college, because I haven't lived close enough for any one place to be my regular watering hole. It's oddly comforting.