Fork in the Road

I’ ve recently had to decide whether change is an adversary or companion on my life’s journey.  Especially with respect to people and their pets who have come into my life giving completion and meaning to the hours between my waking up and the blessing of a good rest at the end of a busy day.

Change has always been present, even in the most predictable circumstances, in my working day. Perhaps, I should eliminate “predictable” from my professional vocabulary.  The synonyms “expected” and “routine” should be banished as well.  A pet sitter never has a predictable visit, NEVER!

Flexibility and unpredictability are the forces with which I battle moment to moment…not that I would trade them for other fields of endeavor.  I have pursued and conquered (at least to my highest aptitude) the secretarial, the volunteerism, the child care, and babysitting, the clerical, sales and other lesser categorized paying jobs.  In essence:  been there, done that.

There is a vast difference between change of which I gain control and change that I have no hope of controlling.  I am at the fork in the road, where change will rule my present and future and my tomorrow will become my yesterday.

My “family” of three is moving.  God Bless the US Air Force.  I know only too well the plaque on their wall which reads “Home is where the Air Force sends you”; It used to be “Home is where the Navy sends you” in my previous life.

Anyway, they are packed and leaving copious notes under magnets on the refrigerator door and countertops to remind them “who, what, when and where” before they fly.  Are they going far?  Yes. No chance of following them. But their house will be someone else’s for the three-year tour they have been assigned. They will retire here I’ve been told, but still, they’re leaving and the worst part is that their dogs are leaving too.

“Butter” will stay at Grandma’s and “Toffee” and “Chase” will have an extended staycation at Aunt Mary’s.  I don’t think the three will be reunited any time soon.  And their rehoming of the dogs is the most heart-wrenching decision my friends have made.  You won’t understand or be able to empathize if you have never had your dog share your bed…

These three have been my Monday, Wednesday, and Friday friends nearing two years.  My car can drive itself to the house.  There is only one route: no scenic alternates, no meandering through the woods or taking in the breathtaking view of the Intracoastal Waterway, which parallels the Gulf of Mexico.  Just point my car west on the four-lane highway a few miles and then north, with a slight jog west again.

The pups have known something was up for about 2 months now.  I would arrive and the food bowls for the boys would be upturned and kibble scattered. How thoughtful of the Missus to purchase an additional broom and dustpan to leave in the Florida room…Toffee would have been busy tearing at bandages from recent surgery and Butter would be anxious and her food bowl not as empty as usual for my midday visit.  More often than not, “Ms. B” (my nickname for her) would be at the door or resting on the carpet nearest the laundry room (to view the arrival of her mistress from the garage).

I didn’t tell them anything. My arrival, followed by the distribution of snacks and recess was the same and constant and yes “predictable”.

The furniture and pictures and paintings and empty flower pots and secret stuff in the closets, dishes and more secret stuff from garage and attic spaces are in shipping containers labeled “Guam”.  The new Ford Mustang has been delivered to a port in New Orleans to be shipped to the same destination. My companions are uneasy and the tension and fear and anxiety are not going away.  Their owners text me and I text my reply.  I have already stated that there will be no formal goodbye.

Change is coming.  I have accepted it, now I have to deal with it and worse yet, I have to be the adult and deal with it.  I have to be the one to stay here and watch them go.  So, this is how I will deal with it: I will embrace it and know that my MWF family will have free room and board, home cooking, warm baths and naps by the fire at Grandma’s and Aunt Mary’s.  After all, they will live with the generations who raised their mistress and she is a loving, generous and happy woman who is devoted to God and his promise of life everlasting.

Change that comes at the fork in the road is on my horizon; it’s just days away.  I embrace it and hope that my companions find joy, adventure, love, and an occasional lap to curl up in…who knows, maybe the next fork in the road will lead home.