Two Events to Pull Back

There have been two events in the past month that have helped me pull back from living a life in despair and aimlessness. The first happened on March 29th when I met the furry creature above. I really wasn't in the market for a new dog, having put my darling Daisy down 8 months earlier

Daisy had been at my side for 16 years and was but a smidgen of a dog, weighing in at just 10 lbs. She was extremely smart and the most lovable dog I've ever owned. Putting her down was a very tough decision and I cried more than I thought I would...for weeks. I really didn't want to deal with another dog in my life....until I met Badger.

The woman that cuts my hair was pregnant with her second child and inexplicably developed an allergy to dogs, after having gotten Badger as a pup. She put out word on Facebook that she had to find a new home for him and I bit. I traveled north to Denton, TX (about 20 miles from home) to kick around the idea, but I was immediately smitten.

I've always gotten dogs as puppies and Badger was a little bit bigger than I was used to, albeit only 8 months old. I've never owned a dog bigger than 25 pounds! At his last vet visit, Badger weighed in at 60 lbs and he might get a little bit bigger before he's full-grown. But he's still a puppy and has stolen my heart.

The second event to happen in the last month was my 21 year-old son moving back from college. The truth is that I needed a break from paying his tuition for a while. Try as I might, I was slowly moving into more and more debt to finance his way. That had to stop, because I want to retire to a life of conservative activism in a few years. Just kidding!

My son has not lived under my roof full-time since his mother and I divorced in 2001. Yes, he was always here on his visitation weekends, but it's just not like living here full-time. To prepare for the occasion, I repainted his room and got rid of everything from the "bunk-bed days". New paint, new furniture, new bed....a grownup's room, not a kid's room.

My son is now 21 and, although I'm feeling rather old, I'm invigorated just the same! I feel a responsibility to steer him in the right direction, a conservative direction, which he's very receptive to. I held court last night when he had friends over (beer pong!) and I did my best to impart my conservative philosophy to all who attended. My neighbor even backed me up!

Just 2 events in the past month have made me feel like I have much more to live for. I'll be back on BlogTalkRadio very soon, just have to finish my son's room.....

I'll keep you posted!