Moving On

The past couple weeks of my life have mostly consisted of packing, moving and unpacking. Last Saturday, my skittish Brittany spaniel and I spent the first night in a new house. It's been somewhat of an ordeal for both of us. Besides the fact that moving is, at best, a huge pain in the ass, there is usually an emotional component to it as well. And this fact is probably never more true than when you're leaving others behind. In these instances, it might actually be easier to leave a spouse you hate or about whom you feel completely ambivalent. This is not the case with me. There's also the matter of a loud, ill-behaved, 40-pound beagle, who is the first dog I ever raised from a pup and bonded with completely. Six years of living with that beagle have taught me to be the one of the people I always made fun of previously—a person who treats her dog like a child. Needless to say, this has been anything but easy.

But with any new situation comes a new plan, a fresh start and optimism. I like my new digs, and after some initial reservations, Maddy seems to be warming to them, too. We have a new neighborhood and a new routine of running through that neighborhood together after work. Spring is (nearly) upon us and summer will inevitably follow. I'm hoping the lessons I've learned will make me a more productive individual in the months to come. May this be a run-my-legs off, pedal-my-ass-off, clear-out-my-emotional-baggage kind of summer. :-)