when nathan was on his first year-long traveling fellowship, i had a betta fish named beebe. he was gorgeous and had serious attitude, but at the end of the day, he was just a fish. he didn't provide a whole lot of comfort to me on lonely nights. harlo is a whole different story. her presence is a very important part of maintaining my sanity/happiness etc. while nathan is away. having her makes my life better.
nathan and i adopted her almost two years ago. it has been and continues to be a challenging ride. between the separation anxiety and the dog aggression there have been lots of frustration and tears. but it is so worth it. she takes care of me. she makes me get out of the house and into the mountains. she gets really happy to see me when i come home. she cuddles. and while she hasn't been allowed into the bed yet, i'm guessing it's only a matter of time...
after complaining that i had to rush home to walk the dog, someone i work with suggested i might find someone else to take care of her while nathan is gone. i stared at him in confusion. do what now? i may feel a bit overextended being a single-dog-parent, but not having her would be a far more terrible reality than having to make the time to take care of her.
