Inside the Box

I have a friend whose husband is dealing with a very serious illness. Well, more to the point, he’s not dealing with and he’s taking it out on her. She told me this morning they went to therapy a few years ago and the therapist counseled her to tell him she’s put a box around him representing the behavior she’ll deal with. Anything outside the box gets him zapped.; metaphorically, of course. She has no idea that Lion sometimes actually wears a shock collar around his balls. Come to think of it, he hasn’t worn that shock collar in quite a while. Mental note to have Lion recharge the collar.

Her point was that all the stressors of moving and his various health problems are something we both need to deal with. Even though the health issues are obviously more personal to him, I’m the one taking on the extra weight of day to day activities plus my own fears about his health. And we’re both stressing about moving, although perhaps for different reasons at different times. Lion needs to know that I’m going through the same issues and he needs to watch his Ps and Qs. Or else.

Luckily, we already have our “or else” in place. And I am starting to use it. Last week when he yelled about being left alone in the middle of the lawn, I yelled back. No, I didn’t give him any additional punishment. I think yelling back was a good first step. I growled. I didn’t whomp him with my big paw. The paw and a bite on the ass are coming, I’m sure.

The other night, when I spanked Lion, he said it was the best/worst spanking he’s gotten so far from me. He thought I hit harder and, perhaps, with more purpose. I can neither confirm nor deny this. I don’t know that I was hitting harder. I don’t know that I was hitting with purpose. These things are highly subjective. Sometimes I think I’m hitting harder and he seems like he didn’t feel it. Other times I think I didn’t hit hard but he has bruises. Go figure. As long as the point gets across, that’s all that matters.

Tonight will be his last punishment. I won’t make any predictions about how long he’ll make it. That didn’t work very well for him last time. I’ll just say that I hope he’s learned his lesson. Maybe he’ll stay inside the box.