I knew this move was going too smoothly. The packing was going according to plan and I wasn't feeling overwhelmed by it. I had found a reasonably priced storage unit run by a woman I trust to store my belongings while I'm gone. Friends of my youngest daughter were going to take(read carry down two flights of stairs!) the rest of my furniture and bits and pieces off my hands. I had originally thought my cat would go to my ex's(where my 2nd daughter has been living while going to the University of Winnipeg and where my youngest will live when she starts at the same university next year), but then he got a dog(there was already a cat in residence), so Sasha was only welcome as a last resort-fair enough. My advertisement for a home for my "sassy but affectionate gray tabby" was answered by a young woman who seemed sincere-problem solved. My car had been advertised for sale for three months without any bites(unless you count the 3 scam artists who contacted me via my Auto Trader ad!), but I wasn't letting that get me too stressed out.
In fact I thought my stress level was pretty was good considering everything that's going on in my life right now. I started to get a little anxious when the woman who had said she was going to take Sasha stopped replying to my emails, but convinced myself it was just because she was busy(having just moved here, new job, etc.). I got really anxious when I finally realized she had stopped communicating with me because she didn't have the ovaries to tell me she had changed her mind about giving Sasha a home. We were back to Plan A - the cat would go to Winnipeg. No big deal - it was only $50 to send her on the plane and I bought a second hand carrier for $15. Unfortunately we arrived back at Plan A a little late-thanks to the woman with no ovaries. I dropped my 2nd daughter off at the airport for her flight to Winnipeg on Monday; Sasha could have gone with her for only $50, if I'd known then that Plan B was out the window. When I phoned the airport yesterday I was told that to fly Sasha to Winnipeg unaccompanied would cost $180!! I do not undersstand how the airport can justify such a difference in price-and telling me that the cat has to be picked up at the cargo warehouse instead of at the baggage claim-a difference of a two minute walk-doesn't cut it with me. This is the first time in years of traveling with West Jet that I am completely disgruntled with them. To make matters worse, I was told that if Sasha's carrier didn't meet the requirements the cargo personnel could refuse to take her. I was worried the carrier was too small so I shoved her into it(there's no nicer way to describe it-she was not impressed and I didn't want to get scratched!), grabbed a friend for moral support and drove out to the airport. Yup-it was too small, so after dropping my friend off I made a quick stop at Walmart and bought a bigger one-more $$!
By this point my stress level had risen significantly and panic had a grip on me. The rest of the day wasn't much better. One of Jordyn's friends and one parent came over to pack up some stuff and load up a couple of pieces of furniture; I was expecting more bodies so did more hauling and walking up and down stairs than anticipated. I was disappointed to hear there is a lot of furniture they aren't taking-more panic rising-how was I going to get rid of it? A friend and her husband came by and took my desktop computer and some food off my hands, but I was getting more panicky as I realized just how much stuff is left in here that I have to clear out before I can even begin cleaning this place. The thought of cleaning this whole apartment was really stressing me out by this point.
After everyone left I took some deep breaths and calmed myself down; everything will come together-eventually. If I have to I will hire someone to haul away any furniture that isn't taken by my daughter's friends; it's an expense I'm willing to pay. I do not want to haul furniture down two flights of stairs(hauled most of it up and it was NOT fun!) and I do not want to presume on the boundaries of friendship and ask anyone to help me. I have reached the point where I'm thinking that if I get my security deposit back-bonus! I'm not going to get stressed or break my back cleaning this place for the sake of a few hundred dollars.
Most important of all I've let go of the stress-and anger-I was feeling about the situation with my cat. I sent a nasty email to that woman in the heat of the moment-felt the need to vent and tell her the stress she'd caused, but now I feel badly that I've added to the stress of her situation. This has become an expensive venture but has actually turned out for the best. I know Sasha is going to a good home, she's going to be with people she knows,people who love her. There is a chance this is not our last goodbye and that I will see her again. When I first moved to this beautiful city 5 years ago I was working 2 jobs I hated and coming home everyday to an empty apartment. When my daughter came to visit and brought Sasha back to me(after an absence of 8 months while I was on the move) my life changed completely; I looked forward to coming home because I knew their was someone there waiting for me. There was a living, breathing, being who cared whether I walked in that door every day. There was a sandpaper tongue to lick my face, teeth to playfully bite me and a warm body to snuggle up to me at night. I wasn't alone. I'm sorry for all the moves you've gone through the past few years, Sasha, and I'm sorry I'm going to put you back into a cage in 2 days and put you through the ordeal of a flight to Winnipeg. But I'm so glad I've had you with me these last 4 years-thank you, girl. I'm going to miss you! Panic has passed. Pet is leaving-but will always be loved, and will never be forgotten.
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