The Pokey Puppy

Put simply, life can be rough.  It's definitely not always fair and sometimes it seems just plain sucky.  The worst things seem to happen suddenly, you don't expect what is to come and hope that it never does (or at least not for awhile).  These times in life leave me contemplating why things happen.  People tell me frequently, "Everything happens for a reason."  But is there really a reason for the bad things in life?  Do these things really make me a better person?  Quite personally, I don't think they do.  I think I would be just fine if my life was sunshine and roses all the time, but that's just not how it goes.

This weekend started off pretty great.  I was babysitting for this family down the street on Saturday morning and was looking forward to earning some pocket money.  A few hours after I got to their house, I was reading the two little boys books.  My phone started ringing and I asked the little boy if it was okay if I answered it.  He of course said no, but I ignored him anyway.

Love you, Henry

I wondered why my mom was calling me - she knew where I was - but I didn't think much of it.  On the other end of the phone something in my mom's voice sounded off.  I could tell that she was trying not to sound sad and keep it together.  My mom tells me that she took our dog, Henry, to the vet and his wound (he was bitten a little while ago) had become really infected.  I thought maybe she was going to tell me that he had to get surgery or something, but then she tells me that it was decided that he was going to be put down.  In just a couple hours.  Henry had some previous health issues including a heart murmur, being blind in one eye, practically deaf, and he had been losing weight and having accidents almost daily.  For these reasons, operating on him was riskier and wasn't totally worth it.

I was trying to choke back my tears but couldn't stop them from falling down my face.  She asked if I wanted to see him before he was put down.  Of course I wanted to see him and say goodbye one last time. Unfortunately after hearing this depressing news I had to continue babysitting.

Why'd Ya Do That?

Do you ever not remember making a promise to only have someone bring it up months later?  Well, I do.  This happened to me at the beginning of January.  Apparently, I promised my mother and Will that I would babysit his friend's children for many hours while they all went out.  While I vaguely remember saying that I would do this, I do not remember saying the other things I supposedly did.  For example, I know that I did not say I would babysit the whole weekend.  Why on earth would I say that? Who wants to be with little kids for that many hours?

Yet, there I was, in a condo meeting the four children I would spend the next five hours of my life with.  Will also did not help with this situation.  He kept telling me and my sister how much of a horror one of the kids was.  Thanks.  I appreciate that so much.  Needless to say, my sister and I were not psyched, but we wanted money.

About sums up why I babysit.  Photo Courtesy of: Hamptons Babysitters