What Is Forever?

 The nature of all human interaction is subjective. Nobody knows what is really going on in someone elase's mind. This is even more true when it comes to being a parent. Or a pet owner. Not that there aren't differences, but trying to care for someone in a way that you feel best befits that person or animal without ever fully understanding their motivations is a truly silly game. It leads to posters found in dorm rooms that read, "If you love something set it free..."

So let me begin by saying that I have no idea how these stories are going to end. There is a kid living in our basement who loves us as much as we love him, but we all want him to leave. We don't say this out loud, but it is true in ways we cannot fully address. The adventure of adulthood waits just outside and it's only a matter of finding a safe place to land that keeps it from happening abruptly. We have spent days, weeks, months attempting to find the best next chapter, but keep getting lost in the weeds of a job search and a global pandemic and the comfort of having the family we know and love all together. 

But it's not always comfortable.

Which brings me to the animal portion of this dissertation. Our adopted cat has struggled with the constraints of being a house pet. He comes to us from the wilds of urban Oakland, with well-worn paths that we will never know. We rescued him from being turned back out into the streets after having been very sick. And having all his teeth removed. My wife threw herself into the challenge of Fluffy's rehabilitation, and after several months, we had a purring ball of gray fur that would on occasion play with the cat toys that we introduced to him. But Fluffy's nature caught up to him, and as he was weened from his medications, he began to assert his will. Being stuck inside a house, even a happy home like ours, was not where he longed to be. He is a denizen of those streets and standing in the way when he bolts for an open door may not be our best play. 

I don't know. 

And neither of these stories is over. One or both may be having dinner when the weather changes again, and the circumstances have them living under our roof. Until it's time to move on. Not because we don't care about them. 

We're just not sure what forever is.