Will Break for Puppies
A teacher I admire once told me to write about what keeps me up at night. She encouraged that those stories were the ones that needed to be told. So today, that's exactly what I'm doing. Our new puppy, "Theo," that we've had for just under a week now, is definitely keeping me up at night. And there are a few things I've learned from him that I'd like to share.
The first, is that in addition to keeping us on-call for midnight or 3:00 AM pee breaks, he's keeping me extremely occupied during the day. Puppy rearing/training is without a doubt a full-time job. And even though he had a well-meaning foster mama, he is a rescue, and many rescues come with a bit more separation anxiety than dogs from a breeder.
Theo, our lovely little mutt, is a sweetheart. But he's also teething (with extremely sharp puppy teeth I might add), and has a deep curiosity to chew everything in sight (especially anything wool, shearling or leather). He requires constant supervision in this stage of taking everything in, a lot of positive reinforcement, and a great deal of time learning that outside is where the doggie bathroom is located thank you very much.
So what's a busy Girlboss and entrepreneur to do? Luckily the in-person clients I've had have been understanding dog lovers and the pup does loooove to nap during the day so he usually just snores softly on my lap during client sessions. But when it comes to the other things - the laundry, the cooking, the recipe testing, the writing. It's a whole lot harder.
This week, Tuesday (newsletter day), came and went with no newsletter. It also happened to be Valentine's Day. Taylor and I - ever the exhausted new dog parents - celebrated with wine, some Indian takeout, and a terrible (but funny) Kevin Hart movie. I admired the bloggers who had their sh*t together in advance to send out beautiful love or heart-related notes.
My intentions were there, but my attention was otherwise occupied. And though I initially felt guilty about it - why didn't I write something in advance? Why is Theo not perfectly potty trained? How DO some people do it all?
Ultimately, in the spirit of heart-opening, forgiveness, and generosity, I've decided to let myself off the hook.
Sometimes when we break promises to ourselves or goals we've set for the sake of our emotional welfare it's OK. Sometimes we're so concerned with some other area of life, or some other being that needs our help, we can't prioritize those to-dos.
And sometimes, for the sake of an adorable puppy, it's more than fine to take a break. As much as this stage is demanding, I spoke to a dear friend and moon-circle woman with an older pooch who shared I should really treasure this time. Life moves fast. Let's savor those moments with the ones we love -- even when they steal our attention from what we "should" be doing.