Charlie Carver Instagram – Tune in this Friday at 2 PM PT / 5PM ET when I’ll be hosting an IG Live with @rainvaldez about Loving Differently as part of @absolutus #LoveResponsibly campaign. Like so many folks this past year, I decided to expand my family by adding a furry friend. A little about Homer; he’s an Aquarius (not entirely sure about the moon/rising); he prefers to chew his toys only after he’s deposited them on top of my feet; he’s a little wary of big dogs, but once he gets the higher ground from, say, atop a bench at the dog park, he’s pretty fearless. No, it hasn’t entirely been puppy love between us. Sometimes it’s been tough getting up and putting the needs of a young animal first. Homer has contoured the limits of my own patience, perseverance, and need for personal space. There has been a lot of that last bit this year – personal space. Alone time. Something that felt personally sacred. Solitude that has, in moments, involuntarily shifted into feelings of isolation. Yes, there has been a strain on my personal relationships during a year spent largely apart from loved ones and the world at large. But that strain has been my teacher too, forcing me to think about how to love and care for myself and others responsibly. Los Angeles, California