why would we get a dog right now?
Why would we get a dog right now? Honestly. Everything is wildly chaotic and I live in a constant state of overwhelm. The news this week has been so horrifying and that’s on top of the sad and awful it’s been.
Why would we get a dog right now? We just survived the back to back of the Mr. and my 20th dating anniversary and Lil Momma’s 12 birthday. For our anniversary, we saw it was the year of “metal” and pulled the plug on buying new kitchen appliances (much needed), including our first working dishwasher and a fridge with water (with water!! So fancy!!) that arrive tomorrow. We have to take a cabinet down tonight somehow and then find a place for the fridge contents. I’m sourcing ice and coolers. Don’t even ask me about the ballet barre and turning pad we got LM; no clue where those will be stored.
Why would we get a dog right now? School starts next week. Besides the fact that LM is 5 feet tall now and 12 years old, the idea that she’s in 7th grade seems unfathomable. This year, she’s doing dance classes and competition and musical theatre classes and competition at 2 different schools and everything starts the week after school does. There’s also the rumor of a 7th grade literary magazine she could write for, because what’s one more activity?
Why would we get a dog right now? This has been a hard year after a number of hard and sad years. Sickness and freak accidents and estates and surgeries… I feel like my constant refrain is “maybe when life calms down.” But it never does and things keep happening. I feel like we’re missing the point of it all, our priorities are lost in being reactive and just trying to get through.
And, I don’t want to live like that anymore.
So, as we get ready for the appliances this weekend, we are also rearranging to fit another crate and decluttering to puppy-proof our floors. It’ll be messy and chaotic, just like us, but also joyful and full of love and something we do together.
5 years ago, LM created a slide deck to pitch that she deserved a dog to grow up with and learn responsibility from and to love on. She would add a slide each time we said no with more evidence about why it should happen and we t wait. It was 27 slides the first year, 50 by year 3, and is now 115 slides. She told me she wants a victory sash, but we settled on her getting to pitch us names.
More to come on all of this - but, I have to go clean all the magnets off the fridge and figure out a new place to store our board games.
Happy weekend, all!
I can so relate to that "when life calms down" and that it never does, and how we should do things anyway because I guess... this is what life is and it's too short to wait with whatever it is.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting with a puppy! I guess you're quite mobile almost back to normal now?
YES YES YES!!! I'm so excited for you!!! It's a fair question "why would we get what is basically another child except that we will have to be involved every time it uses the bathroom for its entire life BUT it will do everything we say". I can't wait to see all of the cute puppy pictures!!!
ReplyDeleteOoooh! Exciting news! We lost Barkley in 2022 and I said never again. It was certainly not an ideal time to get another dog when we did only THREE MONTHS LATER as we were preparing to move in the next eight months. But I'm so glad we did. I don't know if there is ever a "great time" but dogs bring so much joy!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, that is so exciting, Lindsay! For so many things in life there is no "good" time. But I love Elizabeth Craft's phrase of Living the bigger life. Having a dog is definitely living the bigger life and I bet he/she will bring you so much joy. And LM will be beside herself with delight.
ReplyDeleteOh my, yes, "when life calms down" never seems to happen, so the time is NOW. How exciting!
ReplyDeleteThis is VERY EXCITING. You're right- life is never going to "calm down." And I always think about what Gretchen Rubins says- when you're making a decision, "choose the bigger life." I keep thinking about that while we're dealing with our new kitten (which by the way, is about 100 times easier than a puppy, but...) Life is more chaotic and complicated, but he's also bringing so much joy to our house. I can't wait to hear more about this!!!
ReplyDeleteOMG THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!! I agree there's really no "perfect time" to adopt a pet, and I am just beside myself with LM's Powerpoint presentation. That's so cute!
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to hear the back story on this one and see PICTURES. There must be pictures. Is LM over the moon? (Also, she's nearly taller than me and...sigh. I will never be able to reach the top shelf in the cabinets, will I?)
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