Lola

I hear a heartfelt sigh, which I choose to ignore. A wet tongue tries to work it's way inside my socks. When that doesn't work, there's a gentle nudge, followed by some not so gentle ones. And finally my laptop is pushed away by a determined nose, and replaced by a rather accusing doggie face.

Lola wants to play! And, like it or not, Lola's gonna play - with me!

But Lola knows that "Mommy's not feeling well today". So, though we do play a little tug-of-war, she lets me win. After which she brings a brightly colored stuffed toy and tries to snuggle up in my lap.

How would I ever cope with the CFS without my little Lab-Pit mix?

Oh, don't get me wrong, life with Lola hasn't always been a cakewalk. Far from it! We've had more than our fair share of problems. When we adopted a sweet looking Lab-mix from the shelter, we had no idea about the the determined, independent Pit-Bull genes concealed behind that innocent face.

There followed tears and accusations, tantrums and multiple ultimatums to Lola that she's going back to the shelter. But, somehow, we got past the rebellious teenager stage and emerged on the other side with a (near) perfect dog.

Life with CFS can be pretty lonely. I don't have the energy to take up a 'proper' job; friends/family work during the day; going out alone is difficult - I never know when I'll be stuck without the energy to walk or drive back; even grocery shopping can be a stretch and doing house work can be close to impossible.

But I have Lola. And she helps me smile, even on the worst days. :)

Uh oh, gotta go now! Here comes the pushy wet nose. Lola wants her dinner. And we all know, what Lola want, Lola gets!