Growing up I hated housework as it seemed like some arbitrary punishment that my mother foisted upon us every Saturday. Some of it made sense like washing the dishes, but other things like dusting an already polished surface made no sense at all. I grew to hate housework more when I grew up and got married because it seemed as if I was the maid picking up after a houseful of slobs. My now ex-husband thought that if you cooked you should also do dishes and since I always cooked, I was supposed to always do the dishes. And once the kids got old enough to walk, it felt like I was following them around with a pail and shovel.
Category: calm
Pet Bliss
The sun is streaming in the bedroom window and I sense more than feel the brown eyes looking at me with adoration. I feel the bed move as my bed mate stands on his hind feet to look out the bedroom window. It’s the tail swatting me in the face that finally does it and I’m fully awake, a full 20 minutes before the alarm is supposed to go off. I roll my eyes in wonder that anyone can wake up so fully ready to meet the day.
I did sneak a peek at his “Dog Timer” and he does have a pretty full schedule so I guess he doesn’t want to miss a minute of it. The entries in his to do list include:
- Lay at the top of the stairs and watch the front door
- Eat
- Rush to the window to bark at the dog walking by
- Bark at the squirrels
- Eat
- Sleep on mom’s bed
- Walk a patrol around the house to make sure nothing is out of place
- Eat
- Sleep on the couch
- Look out the window
Lucky for me, Luke is always up for a morning snuggle before we actually start the day. He crawls up next to me and pushes his head underneath my hand so that I’ll pet him. I stroke his fur and feel a calmness flow through my entire body as I realize that at this moment in time, I don’t care about anything except feeling Luke’s soft rust and white fur beneath my fingers as I gently stroke him. I rub his ears and he rolls over, obviously wanting me to rub his belly before we get up and face the day. A few good rubs and he’s out of bed and walking over to the door, looking at me to tell me I need to open the door. I get out of bed and we both start our day.
Luke’s always on hand to meet me at the end of the day and I look forward to our evening 
snuggle time just as much as our morning snuggles. After dinner, I’ll sit downstairs with hubby and the kids reading or watching TV and Luke always snuggles up next to me. Sometimes he’s content just to sit there and other times, he’s more demanding and clearly expresses his desire to be petted.
There’s a deep sense of calm that envelops both of us whenever I pet my sweet dog. As I stroke his soft and silky fur, I feel him relax beneath my fingers and I feel calmness and a deep sense of bliss envelop me. Amazing, how such a little thing can make all right in two creatures’ worlds.
Cairn by Cairn 