Midweek Check-In: Punch Monkey, Parking Fees, Live Nation and more

Happy Hump Day {{first_name}}

I can’t stop thinking about Punch Monkey.

Social media keeps throwing him in my feed, and every time I see that little monkey I feel this ache in my chest. His face carries this intense longing for love and comfort. The way he cuddles his stuffed monkey. The way he leaps onto his caretaker’s legs when he walks into the enclosure. And then watching the other monkeys treat him unkindly… it’s hard to look away.

Before we adopted our cats, I never realized how much animals communicate. But now I see it so clearly.

Our Peach reminds me a lot of Punch Monkey. She was the very last cat at the SPCA waiting to be adopted. The last one. She’d also been sick and spent months in quarantine, alone in a cage.

Now that we know her personality, I realize how traumatic that must have been for her. Peach is the opposite of solitary — she wants to be beside us constantly, roaming freely, asking for affection, making sure she’s not alone.

When we first brought her home, she cuddled us with such intensity. It broke my heart a little… but it also amazed me. That longing to be loved and cared for was written all over her.

And really, when you think about it, that’s all any of us want.

I listened to a podcast yesterday with Simon Sinek where he talked about how difficult it truly is to be human — how hard it can be to show up as the best version of ourselves.

He’s right. It is hard.

But maybe we can remember Punch Monkey this week.

And try — even when it’s difficult — to be a little kinder, a little more patient, a little more welcoming to the people we cross paths with here in our Raleigh community.

It’s not always easy.

But it is necessary.

💓 Caroline

Considering we lived in Dublin for one year in 2003, St Patty’s Day has always been one of our favorite festivals of the year; it’s a day for a festive parade, Irish pub crawling, drinking Guinness with thousands of revelers, and it’s always filled with what the Irish call, “good craic.” We’ve gathered ways you can enjoy that craic 👇

In case you missed it, we’re also having an informal gathering at Hibernian Pub’s Block Part from 12pm - 3pm - come whenever suits. We’ll be out on the street, and I’ll be wearing a green shirt with a shamrock love heart. Looking forward to possibly meeting you and y’all meeting each other. You can register here just so we have an idea of numbers.