Dogs are People Too

I feel like even though I didn't give birth to my little Guido, he is just as much my child as anyone who has a kid of their own. Granted he has been able to stay at home by himself since he was 1 year old and he doesn't need clothing but he does need food and water, plus attention and walks at least twice a day. I will say this, one thing that having my little man around has taught me is that single parents are amazing people.

It is quite a bit of work to take care of Guido by myself and sometimes I think that I gave up some things to make it happen. There are times that I wonder if he would of been better off in a different family, one with two parents and maybe some kids, but then I take sometime to really look at him and realize that I can't imagine ever living without him.

I am so proud of how well he has been able to adjust to the many changes that we have made as a family in the last three years. He has lived with dogs and cats, roommates and annoying neighbor children. I sometimes think that there is nothing that he can't handle. It is quite inspiring when I really think about it. And now he has a new little friend, Macy.

 

 I never know how he is going to react to new dogs or people or places, but I had a great feeling that he was going to love Macy. It has been awhile since he has had another dog to play with and tonight's play date turned out really well. At first Macy didn't know what to expect but just a short while later they were weaving in and out of people's legs and the furniture. She was jumping on him and rolling around like crazy, it was the cutest thing ever. And he was so good with her, he just played with her and didn't hurt her at all. He just let her do what she wanted, he even shared some of his food. I bet this is what it feels like to have an honor student now if only I had a bumper sticker for my car.

Balancing Under Pressure

I have been told on many occasions and by multiple people that I bring balance to their lives. That when I walk in the room people tend to just calm down because they know that everything is going to be alright. And if it isn't enough that people flat out tell me this, I also have it on good authority in a blessing that the Lord thinks the exact same thing, not exactly in those words but pretty darn close.

I know this might sound like I am bragging or being arrogant, but the truth is having this ability to make others feel better sometimes leaves me feeling a little bit like I am under pressure. A pressure that is more like a weight on my chest than anything else. It often leaves me feeling the need to make sure everybody is okay and taking care of all the time.

I recognize that those are qualities of a mother, but the thing is I am not a mother. So why do I spend all my free time organizing parties so people have things to do on weekends? And arranging rides so everyone can get to activities? And most importantly why do I add this responsibility to myself when I have so many more responsibilities that I already have to take care of?

Because all the stress and responsibilities that I deal with mean that someone else is included and hopefully having a good time. Maybe I need to spend more time focusing on what this planning is doing for other people rather than how  I feel so overwhelmed. There are things that seem to make it worth the effort, like when I received a text message from a friend the other day simply stating that she was so happy that I had thought to invite her to dinner party I am planning for this weekend. 

I guess just like me, other people want to feel like someone is thinking of them and caring about their well being. And many times we forget that there is always someone with us doing just that.