It's Still A Fight

Returning to a new normal takes a lot of effort, I'm discovering. My husband said this morning he hasn't seen me smile or laugh since the grandkids left. Wow, not good. He's really good at letting me know when I'm off the mark in our relationship, and my sadness has been wearing on him. He said I'm always saying how tired I am, too. I guess I better listen to myself. Depression does make for lack of sleep and heck yes I AM tired. But seriously, I need to make life a little easier for my hubby, who has been kind and supportive through all our recent upheavals. So I need to exercise patience and tolerance, try to smile more, hug more, and appreciate what I have. I'm richly blessed and even though it's been a rough patch, I really and truly have a LOT to be thankful for.
Had a wonderful doggie weekend which is always a nice diversion. An obedience and conformation fun match on Saturday. I was thrilled with Moto in Open and Novice. We're still far from show-ready but he's making huge strides in his attitude. Most impressive were the Novice stays. He was scared of the stewards in the next ring who were ripping duct tape off the floor, lifting and re-arranging mats. He started to get up from the down and run to me, and all I said was a low-voiced "ah-ah" and he laid back down and held his stay. GOOD BOY!
Pinch made his debut in conformation and he too had a wonderful attitude, no fear and lots of enthusiasm. It was a great day.
So I've been re-thinking how I train Moto. It seems he's a dog that does best with not training every day, which is hard for me to let go of. Also just quick short sessions when we are working a difficult issue. He needs to go with me to lots of places in a non-training situation to work on his self confidence. I think these recent tragedies have profoundly affected him and he'll bounce back once I do. So again, between my husband and Moto the Therapy Dog, I need to make an effort to be happy.
It's a Tuesday, so I don't need to go in to my Chamber job today. I still have my Welcome Wagon business to do, but I plan to spend my remaining spare time grooming dogs, training Pinch & Moto and then off to Pinch's Novice class this evening. All good things.
Dig deep, take a deep breath, and smile. It's going to be a beautiful day.