I don’t know about all of you, but the climate in my house is getting a little testy. All this inseparability was, at first, enjoyable, but now we are all too quickly getting on each other’s nerves. What started as happy hearth and home, has turned into an episode of American Horror Story.
This quarantine for others can mean loneliness. Instead of having a clan about them, they are coping with being shut in on their own.
I am convinced that the best way to handle this solitary confinement (or overcrowded house arrest) is humor. And as we know, our dogs provide us with more opportunities for a laugh (especially at ourselves) and to see the glass as half full in times like these where it feels half empty.
Perhaps a positive about all this quarantine is the fact that we are taking our dogs on more walks. Of course, the reason for all these walks is an opportunity for fresh air and exercise (not to escape from the humans we are cooped up with at the moment.) By the fifth time each day I reach for my dog’s leashes, they look at me as if to say, “don’t even think about it!” I freely admit, all these walks are tiring me out too. So much so when, in a state of weariness, I drop the leash of my four-year-old rescue Husky mix (Sir W), my nine-month-old Labrador (Lady S) picks up Sir W’s leash letting me know…” it’s okay mom, I’ve got it from here.”
It is so crucial for us to remember that many people are going through this crisis on their own. If you know people who are enduring this by themselves, by all means, reach out to them and share a laugh. My mother is on her own and loves hearing stories about her furry grandbabies. She then passes these tales along via telephone to her friends (who I affectionately refer to as ‘the mafia’) to give them a giggle during these times of isolation.
For a little comic relief, you should check out the many COVID-19 pet memes and home videos that are on the internet. I have been grateful for the dog memes my friends have texted me. They have given me a well-needed chuckle while working from home. It has gotten so bad with interruptions from my family that I have put a note on my office door PLEASE, PRETEND I’M NOT HERE. Of course, Sir W and Lady S are always welcome!
