blogging, first world problems, midlife, Slice of Life

Glass half full vs glass half empty

I live a weird life.

I’m sure you’re not surprised at this revelation… 🙄

Sunday morning coffee at mom’s.

Allow me to elaborate:

I live in two main residences. #spoiled

There’s the house I co-own with the kids’ dad, and there’s the home I grew up in where my mom lives.

I travel back and forth between both houses almost every week…

Here’s the thing:

I like this arrangement. 😳 #weird

I left a few essentials at mom’s so I don’t have as much packing to do on the days I come here, and since she is a highly organized person there is space for my few meager belongings.

I’m already a less is more kinda gal, a minimalist-wannabe. Her house is being cleared of superfluous stuff on an ongoing basis and especially since my dad died, so extra space for a few of my personal belongings is not hard to find.

My own house is a third of the size and four people live in it. Three of them come with sports gear, including bulky hockey equipment scattered in the already cramped basement space.

One person has several hobbies which required shopping for accessories and more gear. Some of it is stowed in the basement, some of it in the garden shed/garage, some of it in the attic space. All of those places are a little…cramped.

Another person has crafty interests requiring an accumulation of an assortment of supplies, stowed mostly in clear plastic bins with lids, which for some strange reason remain half empty as the assorted clutter scatters across table and floor surfaces…

It seems nothing ever leaves the house, but new stuff keeps coming in.

Don’t even get me started about all the Amazon packages…😩

Anyway, my trips to mom’s house have aided me with my writing projects because in part I can escape some of the family clutter. I have my own space at mom’s and can concentrate for longer periods of uninterrupted time. There’s an office with a door, a bedroom with a door, an outdoor space, a living room space, a tv room…

It’s…so nice. I like it.

The girl child occasionally joins me on my escape trips, which adds another dynamic to mom’s life: a grandchild to fuss over and do things with. Plus, both grandma and tween girl are crafty people so they create stuff together.

It’s a nice arrangement. We eat and have coffee or tea and chat together…a nice diversion for all of us.

But.

There is a wrinkle in my plans now.

The wrinkle is called Samson but will be renamed Chip and is a Beagle puppy. Supposedly we are picking him up in a week from today.

How did I get roped into this?

A puppy…just as we enter a very chaotic time of back to work (him – remotely), school (kids – also remotely), and some increases in activities (baseball already started, gymnastics about to, hockey and ringette probably soon with practices…)

Now there’s a puppy joining the house. That house (the one I’m escaping from…)

I asked some questions as to what the plan is in terms of navigating around a puppy’s schedule. I mean, I know what to expect, but do they? Realistically?

I think they just assumed I’d be there, in the background, dealing with it.

Don’t get me wrong. I love puppies. I am a dog walker, after all. We’ve had a dog (he died when my second child was 2), I dog sit in my house (and blog about it right here)…

But the timing… I am just a little apprehensive.

I had plans, many plans involving less tethering to the house, more freedom to pursue some non-family oriented activities. I have interests, hobbies…and more time to pursue them now that the kids are teens.

Beagle puppy.

So I’ve been doing some thinking (and processing). There are two ways to look at this situation:

1. The glass is half empty (pessimism) and I’m stuck with a responsibility that has me weary, or

2. The glass is half full (optimism) and I have an opportunity to increase my trips to my mom’s house

What are you? A half-glass-empty kind of person or a half-glass-full one?

My mom already agreed that she’d be happy to assist with the furry baby. It will be a great distraction for her as she navigates the novelty of widowhood…with or with a child accompanying me, I’m sure we can manage the new addition to the family unit, no matter how distanced I am/feel at the moment.

So that’s where I’m at. Told you my life is weird. Perhaps I will preregister myself at the loony bin, just in case.

Happy Sunday. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

31 thoughts on “Glass half full vs glass half empty”

  1. I’m a glass 1/2 full type of gal myself so I’d be trying to put the happy spin on the puppy as in: companionship, something to do should we have another wave of quarantine, extra exercise because they need walking, new shoes perhaps because they tend to chew, etc. I wish you well with the new puppy…can’t wait to see photos soon! Good luck!!

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  2. We adopted our dog at 11 months. The advantage was that he was housetrained and had picked up some basic training but also some bad habits that have taken a lot of patience and hard work to iron out. I have learned that a pup who likes to chew random objects soon trains untidy humans to put their belongings away! What made you and the family decide on a beagle? Ours were very cute and full of personality but not always the easiest breed of dog we’ve owned!

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  3. I actually envy you your living arrangements. I’m starting to miss the commute to work — two hours a day of sitting on a train is sounding like a gloriously distraction-free moment to me right now.

    Good luck with the puppy. They are a lot of work, but well worth the effort 🙂

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  4. Sometimes just reading about your schedule exhausts me, lol. Sounds like the arrangement is working out for you very well, so who cares if it’s unconventional? I do wonder if the new puppy will inspire you to spend more time in your own house. I guess we’ll find out…good luck!

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  5. While I love all animals and pets, I’m not sure I have the energy or patience for puppyhood any longer. I’d be more apt to adopt an old unwanted dog from the shelter. But if your mom is okay with it, bring junior with you in your weekly escapes.
    👍

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  9. Hey, if Grandma is willing to share space from time to time with a furry baby then you just keep right on hanging out at her house. Ever so slowly more of your stuff will find a home there and before you know it you may literally be moved right back into your childhood home for good!

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    1. The dog itself isn’t really the problem, you know how much I love dogs.

      It’s the puppy raising part that will be the interesting chapter…especially because the family’s flexibility is much more restrictive than mine. They simply expect me to be around to do it. And I will, because…puppy.

      But I didn’t ask for this to happen. I don’t know, my mind is all over the place.

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  14. Amazing how the universe answers our needs. Not a she-shed, but space in a uncluttered area that also lets you connect with a mom, who is at a point where she needs the extra connection. And, maybe the kids will learn how demanding a small critter can be. (Watching that development can delay interest in making one’s own young thing.) Yes there’s a bit of a commute–but you can do it for your own timing. And that drive may act as the gearing up/gearing down time you need to integrate these two parts of your life. Congratulations, I’ll expect great things.

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    1. It is strange how it all looks like it’s going to work out, isn’t it. 🙂

      I hope it will. But every time I turn around there is a slight change of plans…

      I’m sure I’ll be reporting back the adventures coming down the pipe here. If nothing else, it will provide entertainment for the WordPress readers. 🙂

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