dropped jaw's aftermath

Recently, Petey, my oldest dog, developed a condition called Dropped Jaw. A nerve controls the jaw muscle, and as some dogs age, it swells, and the jaw stops working. Treatment? Wait 1-3 weeks and see if it clears up, because that's basically all you can do.
Petey's better now. I think he eats more slowly, but is otherwise back to his old self. But it was a surreal 2 weeks. Getting Petey enough food and water became... involved. First, I ground up his dry food with chicken broth and eggs. Then we went to canned. Then, soft dry food. And water? Well, I watered him with a turkey baster (which I promise I will never use again at Thanksgiving). Then, I crushed ice for him.
He's lucky he recovered, or I think he'd be living with my mom.
At this point, I'd love to explain that my healthy dog was nice to my sick dog. But she wasn't. Mollie was devastated by all the attention Petey got. She was inconsolable.
That got me thinking. Yes, Mollie is a bit of a brat. But she was responding to being ignored. She was responding to a feeling of neglect. And there's no explaining the whys to a dog.
I think this is true with people too though. People need friends and loved ones. Your friends and loved ones need you. Sometimes you may think that's not true. But if they've invested enough in you to be there when you needed them, then it is true. You're important to them, and they want to believe that you've made some room for them in your heart.
So why don't you make room for them? The reasons can be varied, can't they? You might be stressed. You might be overwhelmed. You might think you aren't needed. I don't know. But the point is, they don't know either. They are just left wondering why you're different now, and what they did to deserve it.
Ask yourself how you'd feel, please. Then ask yourself why you'd do that to them. I warn you though, you might prepare yourself for some initial resistence. Mollie chewed a few of my pillows. Staying persistent though, has its own rewards. When your loved one stuck through hard times with you, they came through it caring for you more. You might just find out that the same thing happens to you.
The worst thing that could happen is, you spare yourself a few emotional bruises, and you gain a healthy friendship. Those are hard to come by.

--Laura