Sunday, September 29th – Thursday, October 31st, 2019
Returning home meant going back to the grind… for now. My boss was already aware that my baking days were numbered, which took away some of the edge, but work wasn’t the only thing filling up my schedule. I may have finished the bulk of the coursework required to receive my TEFL certification, but I signed up for two bonus courses (2 weeks worth) to learn how to better teach young learners, and for guidance for Business English and EAP (English for Academic Purposes) lessons. I also had a few weeks until my practicum was due, so more ESL classroom observation was required, and I still needed a minimum of 6 hours of tutoring experience.
After all of the coursework, baking, and the driving all over God’s creation to observe classes and tutor, I thought I had hit my stress capacity for the month. Then my cat Alley started exhibiting strange behaviors. These random moments of crying, running, and looking confused soon developed into seizures. She’d have a gagging fit, followed by a loss of bladder control. Within a day, these seizures increased to 7+ a day. After the seizure medication had no effect within the first day and a half of giving them, I had to come to terms with the reality of letting her go. It was breaking my heart to watch this happen to her over and over. The seizures had kept her wide awake for 3 days straight and I couldn’t stand seeing her suffer. I stopped by the vet after work and asked for something to help her sleep. I told them I was likely returning the next day to have her put down, but just wanted her to have one last comfortable night of sleep.
Then a miracle happened. She had a seizure about an hour before giving her the sedative, and like that, they were over. I wouldn’t be home much longer to care for her, and whatever is causing the seizures will likely take her eventually, but I bought more time with her and my broken heart was mended. I felt bad leaving her behind after I nearly lost her, but she’s been stable and is in great hands.
To be continued …
