It's hard to be away sometimes

No matter where you are, it's sometimes difficult to be away. This is true even for single, childless people.

I am in a constant state of planning trips. Whether or not I am actually going to go on the trip doesn't matter, as long as I am planning something. When I do get to travel, I am thrilled to get away. I've always been this way. My life isn't so bad that I need to run away all the time. Let's face it, I'm a totally privileged person. I'm writing this blog post in an apartment I am renting in Edinburgh, Scotland for crying out loud. It likely stems from being an Army brat and moving around every so often (though not as much as A.C. Slater).  Even after dad retired, I still managed to move around even if it was within the same city. So the need to travel is in me to stay.

I'm privileged enough to be able to go on trips too. Remember my Thanksgiving getaway? This is my third time in Scotland since 2008 (and my fifth trip to Scotland in total). Being single allows for me to be able to pick up and go pretty much at a moments notice. I once planned a two-week trip to Colorado, packed, and drove out there (by myself) in a matter of about 3 weeks. It's easy because I am not leaving anyone behind. That's technically not true, but I'm not leaving anyone who needs me to be with them. It's a refreshing feeling. It can also be terrifying, but I'll save that for another post.

While I may not be leaving anyone behind, I do leave my dog (ongoing debate about whether that should be plural), usually with my mom since that is where he lives anyway. I don't generally miss his barking every time his nap gets interrupted or the way he makes a huge display when I get into MY bed and he has to move (I know, I'm such a meanie). Regardless, I got him when he was just a cute 8-week old puppy 9 years ago and he is as close to having a child as I'll ever get.

OMG! He was so cute!

Please disregard the ex's ass, but seriously, wasn't that puppy so darn cute?

So when he has to go to the vet to get his ear probed (his most hated thing in life, ever, just ask him) while I am away, I get sad. He's been fighting an ear infection for several years now. They hurt him so much that he will yelp sometimes when he's roughhousing with his playmate. Actually, his whole attitude changes and he becomes depressed: less energetic, disinterested in food and play. It's depressing to watch. And then we have to follow all this up with several visits to the vet where he gets poked and prodded and it kills me a little more each time.


Without going into too much detail, Jack had to go back to the vet to get his ear prodded (something I didn't want to have him go through without his mommy there) and it had to be done after I left on this trip. I was pretty upset. He's my baby and I wasn't there for him. :-( And then mom sends me these super pathetic pictures of the poor guy:

A typical dog: if I can't see them, they can't see me and then they won't be able to touch me. 

If I sit in the chair like a human then they won't know I'm a dog and they won't have to touch me. 

Blerg!! The good news is that we think we found the culprit (we'd been treating the wrong thing) and so he should get better permanently. The even better news for him is that he gets extra treats with breakfast and dinner because he's on so many medications. Well, he is ~56 human years old. I guess it's pretty typical to be on 30 medications at that age. :-)

While I am not wanting to rush home and leave this place, the only place I feel at home, I will be happy to see my baby and my girls. I do miss them all when I'm gone and it can get hard to be away, though nothing like what a spouse/parent feels like to be sure.