I could be watching the next episode of the show (Reborn) I am currently watching. Instead, I am sitting, mid afternoon, with the sun a tad too harsh through the mullioned windows of our family room, watching Felix chase a ball round and round. I am cracking up with laughter as are my girls. It has been ages since all of us have been in the family room on a weekend afternoon.
This Monday will mark three weeks of bringing a puppy home. He is largely a happy pup, true to his name. He chews everything he can get his teeth on, that includes loose flowing pants, sandals, carpet, sofa edges, misplaced puppy pads and, our fingers if they happen to be in the vicinity of his mouth. It will also be almost a month since summer break started for the kids. Our routine is largely the same. Wake up, play with Felix, put him in his play pen and get some work done, take him out for a walk every couple of hours, watch him nap and, do it all again before bed time.
At a time when everything outside the house feels dystopian, he is a breath of fresh air, a distraction from the gravity of the outside world. He provides that sliver of joy that supersedes everything else at the moment. My obsession with drama watching has slowed. I am getting over seven hours of sleep everyday.
If at some point, I was washing my hands after playing with him, I now only do it if I am going to be handling food. If in the first week of feeding him, the smell of kibble made me gag, today I lay on the sofa right next to his feeding bowl and the smell felt oddly familiar.
I picked out a ball for him at the local pet store this afternoon. I weighed my options. Medium. Ridged. Space for treats. My eyes lit up when I found what I thought would be perfect for him. As I put away his wet food, broth and liver treats, I figured we would need a mini fridge to stock the opened cans. My Amazon shopping cart now has various models for me to research.
Adding a family member has been quite the experience. He reminds me of when my girls were babies and we tiptoed around their napping times. Today, I put off making lunch because the pup was sleeping and I would have to run the mixer. He whines and I am out of bed forsaking my afternoon nap for a walk. The changes are incremental. The annoyances minor. There are moments of frustration when he pees inside the house. But, largely, its been a joyous, transformative addition.
Each day, I am looking up resources on where to board him should we have to travel. I post his videos each morning, a ritual that is oddly comforting. My camera roll now boasts pictures and videos of him doing goofy things. I whip out my phone to show people I meet my newest baby. I am insufferable and I am okay with it.
I saw this bumper sticker on a car after a grocery shopping run and it struck home.
It will all be okay in the end.
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