“You Don’t Know What You’ve Got ’til It’s Gone…”

Isn’t that a song lyric that sticks in your head?  “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.”  I was reminded this week in a few ways to stop (once again)taking my blessings for granted.

It is easy to focus on a loved one’s foibles and lose sight of the things about them you love.  They become a burden in your life because of their demands instead of a blessing.  They are a job not a joy.

Then something happens to bring you back to reality.  They get sick.  You wonder if they will recover.

This week it happened.

The most demanding member of the family…the one who loudly demands to be petted, loudly demands to be let outside, jumps on the kitchen counters, nips if you are not petting her just so, claws the furniture, sleeps on the bottom of the bed just daring you to disturb her by moving your legs at night, must be given the first lick of any special cat treat, only drinks from the running faucet not out of a bowl….(you get the picture)…got sick.

Suddenly instead of squalling at the door to be let out, or grabbing at me with her claws to be petted…after upchucking, she just laid on the couch and slept and slept and slept.  She didn’t eat (in fact, hissed at the smell of food).  She didn’t drink.

I was worried.

Whenever I moved about the house, there was something obviously missing.  Something I had found frequently pesky before.  Now, I so wanted it again.

After 24 hours, things gradually began to improve.  She walked around a bit.  She slept on the bed.  She licked a bit of wet food.  Then, she jumped on the counter to be petted.  She sat by the sink waiting for the faucet to be turned on.  She nipped me when I was not petting her just right.  She caterwauled by the door to be let out.

It was a gentle lesson.  You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.

Welcome back, Allie.

Tags: caregivingcatillness