First, I’d like to thank everyone again for the kind thoughts and notes. Even without knowing what was wrong, you’ve all been so good to me. Now it’s time I let you know how things stand.
Chris and I met in 1999, in Seattle, Washington. He was walking his Basenji (Gus), and I was walking mine (Ike). We just happened to be at the same park at the same day, with the same breed of dog. After talking for a few minutes, we realized that if we hadn’t met that day, we would have met the next – as we both had plans to attend a Basenji Playday in a nearby town. Chris has always said that this is more than a coincidence, and that we were destined to meet.
After that, we became instant friends and talked to each other nearly every day. We saw each other frequently, with the excuse of getting the dogs together to play.
It wasn’t long before we quit with the excuses, and just started dating. This photo of Gus and Ike was taken on the day after we met. They were instant best friends, too. |
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Over the last eight years, we’ve lived in four different houses and traveled the world. | |
We have had long-term plans of building our dream home in Illinois, with plenty of room for the dogs to run. | |
Our family has grown and changed. We adopted Hank in 2000, and sadly lost him to cancer 4 years later. Since then, we adopted Lou, and sort of accidentally adopted Abe once we realized that he was more than just a foster dog to us. | |
We’ve had good times and bad, and highs and lows. Even during the low times, I can confidently say we’ve remained best friends.
Everyday I’ve looked forward to waking up next to him, spending time with him, and taking care of him. |
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Upon returning home from my trip to Alaska two weeks ago, Chris had an announcement.
He is done with me. BOOM. |
Now what? Well, I don’t know. Everything that I’ve known as my life, my loves, my family, my home, my future…it has all changed. I’m baffled and angry and sad. I live in a state that is still new to me, over 4000 miles away from my family. The most painful part is that Chris isn’t interested in getting professional help in the hopes of reconciliation.
I’m working on a plan. A plan for me as a single person. A plan I never thought I would have to make.
Surprisingly, I’m holding it together pretty well. After the first two days of nearly constant meltdowns, I’ve realized that I hate feeling like that. I pulled my head out of my ass and decided that was no way to live. I’m doing my best to take care of myself. I’m also being sure to give my dogs all of the love and attention they deserve, which brings me joy in return.
I promise that verypink will once again be a happy place to visit. Soon. I need it to be.
That’s how it stands.
BOOM.