Gonna share a personal experience with you real quick if thatās alright. I just want to share why this comic already means so much to me.
I had chronic neck pain for like two years until I forced myself to rest for 6 months. Got a LOT of crap for trying to remedy invisible pain instead of cleaning the house or doing what others wanted, even outside of it. At home, at work, and even around friends I donāt go to anymore. It got to the point where I donāt trust a lot of people to understand, and I rarely ask for help because of it.
I got hit by a car soon after the pain disappeared and itās been six months since. Iām back to square one because of it. Then zero. Then negative one. Then further and further down the line. Because now Iām on a cane exclusively, and to stand or walk without it has me rushing back to it. My memory is bad now, so I leave it behind more than I should. Hitting the floor isnāt fun, and hitting a wall of any kind feels even harder. Those around me can see the pain now in the form of a shiny silver cane that clinks and rattles, and they donāt say a word against it because itās so in their face and loud in the halls whenever I walk. But I still know theyāre upset that Iām not working like everybody else. Both working in the sense of labor and jobs, and in the sense I canāt do many things on my own now. After last time, itās hard to say exactly why. I donāt know if itās because they pity me, are worried about me, or just tired of picking up after me when I canāt finish a task and refuse to push myself to try. At least they can pick me up off the floor when they see me unable to move.
My cat Zander, while not disabled or super forgetful, looks exactly like that cat and he has been saving my ass recently. Quite literally. He knows when Iām in the most pain, and cries at my door to tell me heās there even though I canāt get up to let him in. We have conversations that way or whenever Iām with him, because he will always respond in some way. He barges into my room so Iām not alone, especially when Iām crying. He makes sure Iām safe with him when I canāt be by myself. He follows me around and comes to my beck and call, making sure I get what I need and that he gets love. Heās been nothing but kind and loving, no matter the mischief. I didnāt even think I would bond to any other cat, much less him, when my childhood soul-cat died. I thought I would never a pet after Bo again. He didnāt seem like the cat to be this fierce about loyalty, because he always seemed to just float around. But he quite literally broke my door and its frame to get into my room and comfort me the very same day Bo died. He hasnāt left my side since. Itās like he was waiting for a turn, and he did it so patiently and politely. Even if I wanted to and tried, I wonāt ever be able to get rid of him. And Iām in no way upset about that. As I like to say, āIām not trapped in here with you. Youāre trapped in here with me.ā He doesnāt suspect a thing.
I canāt bend over often, but I do it for him just so I can pet his beautiful noggin and pick him up to let him know I see him and love him. Because honestly, at this point heās the one person at home Iām not afraid to turn to under any circumstances. It makes me feel safe, knowing that there are at least few out there in the world who would love nothing more than to take care of me and love me back.
Thank you for sharing this comic. I needed this, no matter how different we are.
I hope you feel better in any way you can, and you and your cat live long happy lives with each other. š„¹
