Nice Try!

The following is an example of what happens to me when I decide to think more positively:

So my girls and I went and got our movie, got in our jammies, popped the popcorn, set up our beds in the living room and were all ready for our fun "camp out". Yeah...well... then we heard the cat yowling. We had noticed he was licking himself a lot yesterday but didn't think much of it. Now he was sitting in the tub (that's where his litter box is) and looking miserable and making this awful yowling sound. So I call Josh at camp and ask him what I should do. He suggests calling the emergency vet clinic. So I do. They tell me: "GET HIM IN HERE RIGHT AWAY! - He probably has an obstruction and if he's not treated tonight, he could DIE!" So I'm already panicking inside. Then I proceed to ask them what kind of payment plan they have. The answer: "Immediate payment only". Well, we are pretty much down to nothing and waiting eagerly for both our paycheques. I explain that I will be paid on the weekend and would they accept payment in two days. No - absolutely not. What am I to do? Well, they tell me I should call the "downtown clinic" - okie dokie. Same tune at that clinic - only the receptionist is downright rude. I ask how much this is possibly going to cost. She tells me that if he is, indeed, obstructed, it may cost $700 - 800. !!!!! I'm like : "aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!" By this time, I'm freaking out. So I ask her what in the world am I going to do if I can't pay. She tells me I'm going to have to PUT HIM DOWN!!!! Now I'm REALLY freaking out!!! I then called the first clinic and got a different girl who tells me: "just bring him in and we'll see what we can do for you". In the meantime, my middle girl is so upset by all this that she is puking her guts out! She hears me say "Let's get ready to go to the vet" and runs upstairs to her room and pukes again - all over her carpet! Anyway, I pack up the girls and the cat and head to the clinic. On the way, I call Josh and totally lose it and start bawling like a baby. Then I call my friend Krista and tell her what's happening. She says: I'll be right there and so she met us at the clinic. What a friend! Thanks again, Krista! It was such a huge comfort having you there.

As you can imagine, my girls were praying hard and so was I! After a lot of waiting, we finally got called in and I was told there was no obstruction but that he has a urinary problem (crystals) - like you really wanted to know that! He will now have to go on a special diet for the rest of his life because this is going to be a recurring problem. They put a cone on his head, gave us medication, gave us three days worth of food and a bunch of instructions and we could finally go home. I ended up paying just under $200 - which was just about what was available to me. By the time we got home, it was 11:30.

OK - how can I look at this positively?

- My cat is still alive.
- I didn't have to call anyone for a $700 loan.
- Krista's going to lend me her little green machine to clean my pukey carpet
- it all worked out in the end