The art of compromise

Holly, our dainty tabby cat, weighs all of about 7 pounds. Despite her small size, she believes in living large, which is why she is sleeping in Jacques' dog bed.

Jacques is all, "Hey, if you don't mind, I'd like to get in MY bed now," and Holly is all, "I'm in the middle of my beauty rest and not in the mood to move. Go sleep somewhere else."

After sending subtle and polite signals to persuade Holly to move, a frustrated Jacques gives a single sharp bark. Holly licks her paws, curls up even tighter, and IGNORES him. They are like an old married couple.

Jacques is resigned to not getting exactly what he wants (like that hypothetical long married couple), but he's flexible, in more ways than one, and tries to make do with Holly's bed.

*Sigh*

"I'm not sure this is going to work," Jacques says.  "I'm a dog, she's a cat! We're so different. We have almost nothing in common! I'm really not comfortable with this arrangement. I'm feeling so REPRESSED. So unloved."

But then, after repeated attempts, Jacques finds he CAN make the situation work. He not only accepts his fate, he embraces it. What he perceived as being so constrictive now has the potential to be kind of cozy. Maybe this arrangement isn't bad after all.

Learning to share. Adjusting expectations. Mastering the art of compromise. And occasionally just SUCKING IT UP.

Everything I needed to know about marriage, I learned from my DOG.

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all.

Comments

[Shirl Grrrl]

Love it-love it-love it!!!

[TB]

This is just perfect. Perfect. Hope to talk with you soon!

[Neil]

Did he really go into there? I'm almost thinking you put him in their for the photo. If not, this is perfect!

[V-Grrrl]

He really went in there! It was so funny watching this play out. The trick was to get down low enough to take the photo without having him jump out of the bed and run toward me.

[RD]

Oh, too funny! Jacques is a smart dog--he'll make it.

[Kim]

You're right. They have a lot to teach us. :-)

[heather]

ha! I so needed that laugh. What a great pair those two!

[tera]

Perfection at its finest. That is hilarious!

[Nance]

...whereas *I* would have immediately intervened and sternly reprimanded the cat and begun a long harangue about The Importance Of Sharing And Getting Along and relocated the offending feline, then stood there with my hands on my hips, daring her to Try It Again. Sigh.

[Diane]

That is great! I love the photos.

[Slow Panic]

this is so perfect.

[Chris]

Hysterical! I laughed out loud when I saw the first photo of Jacques in that tiny bed. He's a smart dog [man]. :-)

[andie]

ha ha ha...this is awesome. LOVE the second to last pic!

[Donna L. Faber]

This is too sweet ... and a perfect allegory for enduring relationships. Jack & Daizy go through this frequently. Jack is an 80 pound golden retriever, who is sweet, mellow, kind of emo, and long suffereing. Daizy is a 25 pound boston terrier, who is bossy, neurotic, and who grooms Jack (a lot) to sooth her nerves. Aside from wishing he was small enough to be a lap dog, Jack keeps most of his jealous moments to himself, although he communicates them with his eyes. Daizy, on the other hand, has a hollow sharp sort of bark that she flings at us whenever Jack gets too much of the love. She runs rings around him, and he tolerates it for the sake of his pack. So sweet. D~

[Jack]

So I guess that in this analogy if you are lucky you are the cat and not the dog. ;)

[apathy lounge]

That poor dog all scrunched up in that tiny bed just gave me my first laugh of the day. Thank you!! Cat's can be so thoughtless!

[Susan Raihala]

Wise, wise dog.

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." Robert Heinlein

[gfe--gluten free easily]

Our pets teach us so much. ;-) Still ... Jacques easy-going nature is surprising. Hard to tell what Holly will have him settling for next. LOL

Shirley

[Lisa]

So funny. And sweet. I so want a dog...eventually.

[Ern]

I want to show this post to my kids. This is great.