Tuesday, January 15, 2008

I'm Tired

As I mentioned before, I’m doggy-sitting for Portia this week. I know you might get tired of hearing about it but it’s a BIG DEAL to Portia and me.

I love that dog and adore taking care of her. She’s such a loving dog that when she snuggles up to me while I’m watching TV, she has to get as much of her body against me as she possible can.

But it’s a lot of work caring for a dog.

First of all, she has to be walked first thing in the morning at a nearby park. I’m not a morning person

She is!

So, I have to get up extra early to accommodate her morning routine. A morning meal and medication administration is also required.

My normal commute to work each day consists of:
Walking five blocks.

However, the commute from Portia’s house is an hour-long bus ride. That means I have to get up extra-extra early.

When I’m taking her for her walks, I worry that she might dash away from me and get hit by a car or something. She’s so easily distracted by little things like:

Smells,
Gum wrappers,
Anything that might be considered food.

I worry about her being alone in the house all day.
Is she frightened?
Is she feeling abandoned?
Has she eaten another bar of soap and thrown it up all over the stairs?

It’s only the third day, but I’m kinda wiped out!

I don’t know how parents raise kids. I really don’t.

It’s a good thing I didn’t have kids. Sure, I think I’d make a good parent, but what if I had a kid and it turned out . . .

. . . that I didn’t like him?

It could happen!
There are definitely kids I’ve encountered that aren’t likeable. You know the ones I’m talking about. What if that turned out to be mine? It’s not like you can put an ad on Craig’s List:

“Wanted. Good home for energetic three year-old boy. Almost potty-trained. Has tendency to bite, shove corn up his nose and flush cell phones down the toilet. Allergic to peanuts.”

That would be my kid.

It’s a good thing I avoided all that.

. . . . I’m tired.

2 comments:

  1. My sister is raising four kids, currently ages five, seven, nine, and ten. She makes it look totally easy, but even so ... yeep, how scary.

    Re: Portia, your building wouldn't allow you to keep her there, right? So ... why can't you sleep at her place?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Eric - I do sleep at her place, then commute to work downtown. She lives on the north side of Chicago.

    ReplyDelete