Maynard was the glue for our household.
That’s something we had always joked about, but it is pretty accurate. When the other cats were squabbling, he’d insert himself in the situation, act goofy, and break up the fight. He was the perfect “middle child” cat and took his role as peacemaker seriously.
He would look after his humans as well. He could tell when we were in bad moods and would come up, give a nose boop, and do his best to love on you until he cheered you up. He would cry to be picked up then demand a “group hug.” Somehow, he always knew when one of his humans needed a snuggle.
But he’s not here anymore, and my wife and I are going through a rough patch right now. I can’t speak for my wife, but his absence has been quite a bit more noticeable to me since these challenges have arisen. I can’t just flop on the bed with a big sigh and know that a fuzzy face would be booping my nose momentarily.
While the boy is certainly not to blame for our troubles, the stress of dealing with his behavior, and frankly just having another human in the household to care for, helped lift the issues to the surface. We have a bit over a week left in his stay, and my hope is that his return home will give us the space we need to work through everything.
I want to take a trip somewhere to just get away for a few days and focus on ourselves. Nothing big, just a road trip out of town for a weekend where we can explore old bookstores or poke around antique stores. We have talked about visiting one of the sapphire mines that let people buy buckets of extracted material to sift through – maybe that could be something we try. Whatever it is, we need to get away, just the two of us, and spend time together without outside interference.
Like all married couples, we have had our ups and downs. Though this one is a bit more serious, I am certain that we will be able to overcome the challenges we are facing if we work together as a team…
Song of the day: Lorelai by Fleet Foxes
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