Yes, I do think too much into things, but bear with me a moment.
One of the first things I have learned because of our fur ball Meshka is selflessness. When you have a puppy, the world has to revolve around that puppy, even if you don't want it to. You have to wake up at 2am, when it's snowing and -400 degrees outside so they can do their doggie business. You have to go right home from work so they can go out instead of going straight to the gym. You have to play with them, you have to feed them, you have to make sure they're well cared for. You have to spend a lot of money on them. I didn't realize all of these things before we got a puppy, part of me is glad I didn't, because if I had known, I might have opted to wait a bit before adding to our family. However, I am glad that we did get Meshka, because it has taught me a new level of selflessness that I probably wouldn't have learned without a little nudge from a 25 pound ball of fur.
The second thing I've learned is patience. If you know me at all, this is probably my worst quality. I have no, and I mean no patience. Potty training is a good example of this. It doesn't happen overnight, and you have to be consistent. Definately not an easy thing for me....at all.
Which segues into my next point: grace. Meshka still has her occasional accidents. Sometimes it takes everything in me not to slap her silly and send her to bed with no supper (don't worry, that has never happened). But over time, and through the grace of God, I have learned to extend grace to Meshka as she learns how to be a member of our family.
I think perhaps why it is so hard for me to deal with our puppy sometimes is because she is so huge. She doesn't look like she's only 3 months old--someone today asked if she was 6 months old! I think I forget how little she truly is--and I need to take a step back and breathe for a moment before I react to some of her antics.
Meshka has really taught me a lot in the last 2 and a half months. Life is so simple for her. Perhaps I need to simplify a bit too--and learn contentment. It amazes me how she can sit in front of a window for hours, just looking at the outdoors. Or how she can flip a piece of her bone in the air and think it's the best game ever created. It makes me wonder where my contentment and sense of wonder have gone.
All of these things can be applied my own life. Things I need to work on or reflect on. Things I need to hone in on before K and I decide to grow our family with human babies. I think Meshka is God's way of preparing me for motherhood years in advance. K and I want to wait at least 3 to 4 years before starting our family, and apparently, God knew that I needed these lessons now, rather than later. And for that, I am very thankful.
Call me crazy, but I am thankful for my naughty, adorable fur baby. While I've been teaching her, she's been teaching me....now we just need to get "sit" down before she's bigger than me!
