Monday, July 12, 2010

Love

To love loving animals is not enough. There are needs that have to be met, reality that has to be dealt with, and, Lord knows, vet bills that need to be paid. To love loving life is not enough either. Nor is it enough to love someone else’s life. There are needs that have to be met, reality that has to be dealt with, and, Lord knows, bills that need to be paid. I have always found it much easier to set aside my own life and work on someone else’s problems. Even a dog’s problems seem lighter. This was my mantra—work to make other people’s lives easier. So it was no surprise that when a sick puppy showed up, I performed the same song & dance. I poured my days into bettering his health and his behavior, but for the first time ever, all of my efforts seemed to come back to me. I began walking more. I found myself outside more often than not. Reading filled my downtime, (albeit dog training books). Budgeting became an immediate requirement in order to afford the giant vet bills, medications, and expensive food and supplements suitable for a sensitive puppy’s tummy. Exercise, education, savings...all things I had been meaning to focus on. Somehow, with a dog under foot, I was becoming more patient, more conscientious, looking for the least difficult way to get through my day. Spending my time setting him up for success set me up for success. No relationship I’ve ever had with a person has done this for me. I started to remember who I was, what I wanted to become, and how those ideas could meet in the present moment. In short, I began living (and loving) my life.

To date, I’ve lost forty-three pounds, read more books in the past six months than I have in years, changed my sleeping and eating habits for the better, and have more money in the bank then I did before vet bills. All because, one fateful morning, a puppy crawled into the middle of a busy highway—his life needed to change. The outcome of his choice was clear: get help or the end. Neither one of us could have kept going down the paths we were on. This is our adventure. One dog, one girl, one big awakening.

1 comment:

  1. I don't keep up with things online so much anymore, but I'm glad you posted this to Facebook and I read it. I especially like this entry, I have tears in my eyes that I can't wipe away since I chopped hot peppers earlier today.

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