Alrighty Then!

Okay, I'm back. I just needed some time for introspection and self-pity, and decided not to take it out on you all. You're welcome.

My Own Brand of Idiocy
I do and say some admittedly stupid things. Some out-and-out mind-stoppers. And then I admit them to anyone who will listen because one of my favorite things to do is laugh. Especially at myself. I do not know why I cannot keep these things to myself and pretend that I'm normal like everyone else. I guess it's more important to me to brighten someone else's day with a good guess-what-I-just-did story than to seem like a normal person living an ordinary life.

Just now, sitting here writing this in the family room, I began to grumble internally that it was starting to rain outside - hard. Then I realized that it was my husband upstairs taking a shower. And now I'm telling you.

I am an intelligent person. I have common sense. I have a bachelor's degree in journalism. I was on the dean's list, for crying out loud.

Whatever the reason, it is daily; or as is the new thing to say, "it's how I roll."

The Canine Whisperer. Not.
I work part time at Club Canine, a dog daycare/boarding facility. (Check out our Facebook page, too!) I have to feed my Starbucks habit, and meds and therapy are expensive for this family. I have been one of those crazy dog people since birth, so this was a good fit; plus I get to dress down on purpose, yell at the top of my lungs (30+ dogs can get quite loud), and love on puppies at will - and get paid to do it. There's much more to it than that, of course, but these are the highlights.

Did I mention the puppies? 

Actually, the biggest highlight is that I have a super, awesome boss. She opened this business out of her love for dogs and her canine knowledge and experience are the legs that made it possible. Having a boss who respects you and is grateful for the work you do means almost more than money.

In my former life, I worked in the world of advertising - complete with office politics, bad bosses, undercutting, posturing, clawing to get ahead (and you're crazy if you don't want to do that), unrecognized talent and skills, etc. But in my job now - my tiny, part-time, out-of-left-field job - I am happy. I do not leave mad at the world and wishing to run over the first human I see on the way home. I do not dream of my boss being taken away by a tsunami. I love my boss.

Why? Well, many reasons. But the employee/boss reasons are that she treats us with respect, she is grateful and thanks us for our work, she does not take us for granted, and she works harder than all of her employees combined. 

I highly respect that she works her tail off to make her business a good one for the dogs she is entrusted with. This is not always the right "business" way to go; i.e., her first order of business is caring for a dog and not making a dollar off of that dog. So she's not cut-throat money hungry. She is caring. And if those two cannot coincide peacefully, then I'll struggle right along with her to leave the money-hungry behind.

As my friend and I sometimes say about our special-needs parenting lives when frustrated with making the decision that's best for your child instead of the easy, less difficult, less expensive decision, "There's another jewel in your crown," (referring the the crowns we will wear in heaven for what we're enduring here on earth ...).

We don't always feel the effects we are having on others, especially when everything around us feels like it's falling down and we're about to go with it. But when you're making the right decisions on simple things like how you treat people, the effects are far greater and deeper than dollars in your pocket. Society makes it very difficult to believe and live by, but I've slowly come around to the fact that this simple truth has greater impact than all the money and prestige in the world.

And yes, I absolutely recognize and am grateful that I have the luxury of taking advantage of this because my awesome husband endures what he does to be a good provider for our family; thus, allowing me to work part-time where I am happy as opposed to somewhere I am miserable just for the pay and/or benefits.

Now, that being said, we all need days off.

Fer Shizzle!
I have the next three days off. And I mean off. It is fall break, the younger set is going to Nana and Papa's for some freewheelin' grandkid time starting tomorrow; and I don't work again until Saturday. This is not a drill. I get to sleep past 5:45 a.m., do whatever I want within legal and moral limits, wear clothes that will remain dog-slobber free, and know that when I clean a bathroom - the floor will remain un-peed on until Sunday afternoon.

You KNOW it!

photo by bingbing