Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe that it’s 2020, a brand new year and a new decade. I’ve always loved setting New Year’s goals and challenges for myself. Some have stuck and changed my life such as doing a daily yoga practice, and others have come and gone. Holidays have always been a stressful time for me and this year was exceptionally so. December was a crazy busy month filled with 4 weeks of being so sick, probably the worst sickness I’ve ever had. It was sidelining for most of the month and I felt like I was slipping further and further away from the productivity of life. This in turn created an intense amount of anxiety and stress which is where I sit in life right now.
Due to this chest/lung illness I wasn’t able to volunteer much. I didn’t notice the absence of the shelter at the time but I recently returned to volunteering this last week and it felt like a life changing experience. I walked into the shelter feeling frazzled and stressed out for the next week. Balancing work, holidays, school applications, and life changes can be challenging and it’s extremely easy to become overwhelmed. Often times the first things that we cut out when we get busy are the one’s that we end up needing the most.
Going into the shelter I felt weighted down with my busy brain. I’ve been struggling a lot with where I see myself in the next few years and what kind of job will bring happiness and excitement because I’m not sure my current position is the best fit for where I am. That night was filled with positive people, adorable dogs and a special boy (Konrad) who touched my heart. Konrad is a lovely blue eyed boy who has had a really tough go. He was brought into the shelter about a week ago with either a bullet or stab wound on his leg. He’s so sweet but so stressed out. I spent some time with him last night and I felt myself being torn in a thousand directions. There’s a part of my heart that is enraged, how could a human be so cold to do this. I had to catch myself a few times because I truly don’t know his story, and what’s been done is done. He is in the right place know where he can get healed up and then find a forever home that will love, protect and cherish him for the rest of his years.
Lesson from the Shelter: It taught me about what I need and want to have a fulfilling and positive job/career, it taught me about looking past the negatives and finding the positives in the situation and it taught me that when I am tempted to forgo my favourite things because I am busy; it will lead to more anxiety.
Lessons From the Shelter 