The last couple of days have been the lull in life’s storms. Things are going pretty good and everyone seems to be getting along alright. Arabella for the time being seems to be fairly stable.

I have been keeping busy trying to find what brings me peace and joy. I started volunteering this week for a new organization, a sanctuary for rescue cats. Yesterday I put in an adoption application for a cat rescued from a hoarding situation. He came from a house with 88 cats.

I am hoping he does well with Arabella’s cat. But if he survived in a house with 88 cats, I’m sure he can survive in a house with one temperamental cat. There is so much information available now online on the best ways to introduce animals to each other. Before the internet, we just threw them together and hoped for the best.

Paul is thinking of getting a dog maybe within the next month. Although pets can be a lot of work, they also bring a lot of joy. We haven’t had a dog since ours passed away almost 2 years ago. We didn’t think a puppy would work well with our geriatric cat. But now our cat has been gone for a month already. Then a week later my daughter’s cat moved in. I really realized how much I enjoy having pets. That’s something I’ve been examining when I think about ways to reduce my stress.

I’ve also been saying no to things I might find stressful. I said no to going up to the cabin for Labor Day weekend. The extended family is more judgmental of my family than they are supportive. The last time we were all together for my mom’s birthday, I was really stressed out. There weren’t enough places to sleep for everyone. I suggested that my youngest niece, who just turned 14, could sleep on the couch. But my SIL said my niece couldn’t handle sleeping that far away from her mom. She slept with her mother in the double bed while my son and his girlfriend slept on the couch.

I was annoyed because my brother and his wife baby their kids so much. Teenagers sleeping with their mommies. Barf! My nieces are homeschooled and they don’t experience being around other people who think differently from them. They have been judgmental towards everyone in my immediate family at some time or another. It’s hard to be ‘on vacation’ and feel like you can’t be yourself around the extended family. Then my other SIL is psycho and screams at my brother. My dad isn’t allowed up at the cabin when the grandkids are around because he is a pedophile. My mom plays the victim and shows extreme favoritism towards my brother Matt who often burps, farts, and gags at the table. Yeah….no.

I even turned down the overnight family reunion because I thought that might be stressful too. Saying no to stressful things and saying yes to joyful experiences. Remember that friends are the family we choose. I like that saying. So this weekend, we are spending time with our friends.