Mom's vacation

Mom went on vacation for Dad's birthday. None of us have talked about it, but I know that we all miss her. Suprisingly, we've maintained the cleanliness of the house. I have to admit, when Mom is here, we automatically turn into children again, knowing that someone will pick up after us and feed us and hug us when we're sad and be our sounding board. It's a great feeling to know that someone is always there for you. I've resisted the inclination to be dependent. It's a hard process for me to follow. I like doing things on my own, asking for minimal help, learning as I go. Short-cuts are good, like learning from other people's experiences, but nothing sticks as well as going through it yourself.

Anyway, even our dog is depressed. All he does is lay around and pine. He'll walk from one room to another, pause as if he's pondering something, then plop on the floor or the couch with his head gently placed between his paws. He has this sad-dog look on his face and it seems no one is able to cheer him up. He doesn't really run around the house the way he used to and when we carry him, he slumps in our arms as if his bones have softened. The night before Mom left, he had this confused look when he saw the boxes stuffed with things and he kept tapping Mom like he was asking her what was going on. (I know it sounds funny that I interpret my dog's actions this way, but we all talk to him like he's human.) My poor doggie-woggie. I think everyone feels the same way he does.

We know that Mom likes it better where Dad is and even though my parents are only 50, it seems like their really old. They still act like teen-agers in love, but we feel that they should start enjoying life by traveling and being together. They deserve it.

So, we're glad Mom went on vacation. We're glad that they got to spend time together, because they're not very used to being apart.