Stoic in the Face of Sedation, Nervously Yelling

As nice as it was to have a crew come in and pack our stuff and move it for us, the day before and the day of our move were (un?)surprisingly eventful and exhausting. We spent much of the time sedating our animals, and then watching them in Mike’s bathroom through the Pet Cube ™ video feed wondering why they hadn’t fallen asleep yet. Were they demons? We wondered. Link also remained stoic in the face of sedation, nervously yelling instructions at the movers. I was glad though because his embarrassing behavior relegated me from a position of responsibility and decision making to a role where my sole responsibility was to hold him while sitting in a chair. Still, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Think of all the times I had to make arrangements for his care to go to the bathroom or eat a meal.

“Were they demons? We wondered.”

The day before our move, so right after the photo shoot, I sat in directionless silence wondering what the hell I was supposed to be doing. I knew that we needed to separate out our toiletries, clothes, food, and pet accoutrements to go with us to the hotel for the next two months, but I did. not. know. where. to. begin. Hours went by with me doing insignificant, or now that I’m my late thirties, what I call “piddly” tasks.

“I found myself in a Target in the storage and organization aisle whispering into the phone to my best friend of 30 years, “I think I’m low-key having a panic attack...””

I found myself in a Target in the storage and organization aisle whispering into the phone to my best friend of 30 years, “I think I’m low-key having a panic attack. I… I’m not sure what I really should be doing or where to start. I haven’t really done anything all day that I can tell. I… I’m thinking of buying plastic bins? Because like I can’t seem to put anything in boxes?” Sarah who I know is frantically packing for a family vacation, calmly responds, “Okay. That’s okay. Let’s talk this through. So, I think going to Target is not a good idea because it’s only going to keep you from getting started and I think the most important thing is getting started. Not the bins. You don’t need to spend money on bins. You just need to grab a cardboard box and pack it, and then once that dopamine kicks in, you’ll be on a roll. Besides, you don’t really need to spend the money.” Still whispering, I reply, “I’m already at Target, and they’re already in my cart.” And without taking a beat, she replies, “Well shit, if you’re already at Target, just get them.” To which I whispered, “Okay.”

““Well shit, if you’re already at Target, just get them.” To which I whispered, “Okay.””

It turns out I was not having a panic attack, The Universe lead me to Target to buy those bins. I’ll explain why in a later post.

But the important thing is that I bought those bins that day. And then I bought some more the next day because it was all I knew to do.