Finding Time

I have zero desire to drive my commute, but taking the train/bus makes for a long day- one where I am out of the house for 12 hours every week day. My new job is demanding mentally (which I am happy about), and when I get home, I just want to sit and relax. Except that I am also a new mom to an amazing 9 year old girl (SP), and I want to have some interaction with her before it’s time for bed.

So the question is, where does that leave the dogs? I was incredibly spoiled by my 7-3:30 work schedule with ten minute each way commute at my last job. I got to get home and go to the dog park with the dogs pretty much every night (or at least every night we went to the park). While it’s summer, we can still manage the occasional week day evening dog park, but soon, that won’t be the case. I will be limited to weekend dog park trips.

And one SP goes to bed, truth is, I’m pretty ready for bed myself, as it’s usually less than 8 hours before I have to get up again. There’s some puppy cuddling in the process, but not as much as they (or I) am used to.

I love my dogs. I want to enjoy them. So I am trying to build specific doggy time into my schedule, and also to be more “present” (I know, I know, it’s the buzzword of the year) when I am spending time with them.

The answer, for now, is mornings. When I get up in the mornings, no one else is awake, so I don’t feel like I’m taking time away from my husband or daughter to devote to the dogs. Three mornings a week I take the dogs on a quick jog to the end of the street and back. Depending on how much I let them sniff at the dead end, this is 10-15 minutes max, but it’s exercise for me, exercise for them, and something all three of us enjoy. (Though really, jogging with a Beagle and a Terrier simultaneously is an art form all its own.) The mornings I don’t jog, I let myself hit the snooze button, but I also take a few moments while getting ready to sit and pet both dogs.

In the evenings, I try to take some time without a computer in front of me to actively pay attention to the dogs- usually as the last thing I do before going to sleep. Or, if we are watching a movie as a family, I invite one of the dogs into my lap (usually Larry, as June prefers to sleep on the back of the couch, serving as a head rest).

I miss having the more relaxed (though unfocused) time at home with the dogs and family, but I think we’re going to be okay. And honestly, there is nothing that makes me smile more, or is more relaxing, than peeking in my daughter’s room after she’s asleep and seeing one (or both) of the dogs curled up with her.