Our family just welcomed a new puppy two weeks ago. His name is Ollie and two out of four members of our family are in love, ha!
A puppy is work.
No time is the right time because it’s like a baby without diapers who has sharp teeth and chews on everything…but I have been told they bring endless comfort and joy… so I’m waiting for it.
My daughters are in love, but my husband and I are working on it.
I’ve never had a dog. Never had a pet really, unless you count the budgie that was given to me at 8 -years-old by my neighbour who was giving it up… the silly thing sang all day, made a complete mess and flew around our house pooping everywhere. We named him Snowy and although he was really the only pet I ever knew, I wouldn’t have called it love.
A couple years ago we got a fish. Trying to appease my oldest daughter who for the last five years has been working on a binder of notes and research trying to convince us of all the reasons we need to get a dog! We thought a fish would suffice or at least take her mind off it… but that plan failed miserably, as did the poor fish who lasted only a few months.
After the first week home the excitement died off. Sure it was mesmerizing to sit and watch “Bubbles” in his tank which was all lit up in vibrant colours as he swam around, but aside from the peaceful moments he provided, there was not much that he could do.
It made me realize that life is much the same. You get out what you put in.
A bird that no one wanted and a boring fish were not for us. Why? Well because they were really just band-aid solutions to getting a dog, but as humans, when we settle, it is never good enough, it never makes us happy.
So my husband and I began our own research. Could we really be fur parents? What did this entail? What breed would be best? How do we care for them?
We had and still have absolutely no idea what we are doing, but we are reading books, talking to friends, taking puppy classes and going with it.
We named him Ollie… like All-In…
Cause our motto is and always has been “why not?”.
It is not often in life that we regret things we did, but rather things we didn’t do.
Sure a puppy is a 14 year commitment and seems like a pretty brave, let’s give this a whirl… but when we go for something, we go all in!
So hence the name Ollie.
The little guy is growing on me. I said I wouldn’t pick up poop, but I do it every time.
I said I didn’t want dog slobber all over my things but now he licks my face and I spend most of my days laying on the floor with him in sweat pants as we navigate this new world for both of us.
I am still not a dog person because the truth is, we don’t know what we don’t know.
I didn’t know I would like tap dancing… until I tried it.
I didn’t know that I could love something so fiercely … until I became a Mom.
I didn’t know that I didn’t like roasted pig… until I tried it, gagged and vowed never to eat it again.
We don’t know what we don’t know, so rather than spending endless amounts of time with the would-haves and could-haves, we just go ALL IN… and if we fail… we get back up, dust off and learn the lesson.
Ollie is inching his way into my heart… and I’m here for it.
On your ‘Joy Journey’ this week I urge you to come up with something that you are hands down never, ever, not even in a million years going to do or try… for me that was getting a dog. Now find your thing. Maybe it is I am never, ever going to eat sushi… now go and try it… you either hate it, or you love it… but now you know and saying you did it brings joy because you tried something you said you never would do. I don’t encourage you to get a dog cause man oh man that’s a big commitment, but if you are like me and aren’t a pet person, maybe volunteer an hour at an animal shelter to be around them, see how it makes you feel. Remember, we very seldom regret things we did, but rather things we didn’t.
We’ve got this!
@half_full_most_days