Welcoming my adopted puppy …and how to manage bringing a new life into your home.
Whoa! It’s been a while since my last blog entry back in December when I was in Mexico enjoying a short sabbatical. I have a terrific reason. While there, I met a new friend, Sara, who runs SayulitAnimals. If you have been to Mexico, you likely noticed that generally, dogs are not respected and cared for as well as in the U.S. However, in Sayulita where I was staying, they are lucky to have Sara. Upon hearing that I would be open to adopting, she introduced me to a little white Boxer named Santa, the match was made and home she came with me!
She’s a sweetie, but like any life transition, you have to reorganize your life a little. Clutter, as I have said many times, comes in all forms, and this little 33 pounds (and gaining) of joy was also clutter. When you bring a new living being into your home, whether it’s an aging parent, a new baby or a dog, everything changes.
It’s not just the stuff clutter. A new life to care for means you need to significantly re-organize your schedule and manage time in a whole new way as well.
Here are the three steps I took to manage the new order of things:
1. Create Accessible Storage
Make sure the things you need for care and feeding are easily accessible, where you use them. Santa’s food and treats are in an easy to access cabinet in the kitchen close to her dog bowl. To do so, I moved my bin for canning (which I will have less time for now) to deeper storage to make some room in the kitchen. For senior care, keep meds close to where you disperse them. Keep baby toiletries by the sink, or in the bathroom, where they are used.
2. Change Up or Give up Some Activities
Some things in your schedule have to go, or change. See my canning hobby above; I’ll have time again for that as Santa gets older. I used to swim and practice yoga 4 to 5 times a week. That’s now down to twice a week. Instead I take long stair walks with Santa happily by my side. Be creative, blend, let go…this is temporary. Life is long and it’s all worth it.
3. Get Help!
I have flexibility in my schedule to walk Santa, but not always. Hiring a dog-walker, a nanny or a caregiver will give you a break. Now, a couple of times a week I can be at client sessions without worrying about my dog. My single-parent girlfriend Constance, who miraculously cared for her aging Mom and Uncle while raising her young son, hired an energetic babysitter who also did the housekeeping, ran errands and even brought in extended family to help with yard work and household maintenance.
Make it easy on yourself; keep things where you use them, change it up and don’t do this alone. Enjoy and be here now.
And by the way, Happy New Year!