Raniner

Time away from the roommates to spend some time at my Aunt's place, has come to an end tonight. I took the dog to the park one last time before I had to give him up. My Aunt and Uncle are so great, they are a cute little hippie couple with big pots of vegetables growing out back, schedules for the yoga classes posted on the fridge, a VW camper van parked in the garage and clever little cross-stitching that my aunt takes time to do decorating the house.

Just the best kind of people.
And I was happy to watch the dog,
The dog and I did everything together, trips to the DI, walks in the mall, late night hangouts with the friends, porch sits and hikes. We took showers after late nights at the muddy park, we went to a ranch and played with horses, we fixed a flat tire, road tripped to Provo for a photo shoot, watched a few blue-rays, and then we would just sit in bed and talk about boys. It is amazing to me that I just spend a little time with the thing and he is attached, with very little that you give the dog thinks you are the greatest.
What a great quality, I'd love to meet a person like that.

The dog hated showers, loved wearing his seat belt, and never could catch the vision of a 'selfie'. . .

Sad to see it go, but excited to have my life back.

Things I've learned from babysitting the Dog for a week:


One: The Human race generally wants to make friends, we all need someone to talk to. Dog people are just the best at it because they have a great excuse. "what kind of dog is that?" "how old is he?"
Dog park everyday for us, mostly because I like to talk to the people there. I have made some fun friends this week. I could not walk through the park without talking to everyone, and not just one word, lots of fun conversations.
(New Goal: Find easy ways to strike up conversations with strangers without a dog.  (impossible))

Two: I have never noticed how charming the little benches are that sit over-looking the pond at Liberty park. I would take the dog to the park late at night and I would sit on the bench and watch him run around. We were the only ones in the park, late at night with the moon reflecting off the water. I love that the bench was placed there with that purpose, I wonder about the people who sit on those benches and the things they think about as they pass the time watching the lake.
I was glad I had the time at the park to pause and think.
Thinking I might need to start taking myself to the park, it was just as healthy for me as it was for that Dog.

Three: I live a selfish life, I have great friends who I would do anything for. But when it comes down to it, I live a life for me. I loved that I had to take care of this creature, and learned that it can be calming, charming even therapeutic to watch out for another person's needs (or animals). I knew this before, but it was nice to put effort into the dog, and learn it all over again.

Four: I hate the smell of dog, I really don't think I'll ever get use to it.