A year, at home

This morning, I realized that I haven’t yet gone through my pictures of 2020 to collect those that I would call my favorites. Though January began with a trip to Austin with a girlfriend, and despite plans for vacations in Paris and Rome this past year, it was for good reason a rather stationary set of months. The farthest I’ve gone since February is to a city two hours away for ultrasounds. 

But still – it’s the last day of the year, and shouldn’t I post something that acknowledges these 365 days? So I started flipping through my pictures and realized pretty quickly that for all of the nuttiness of this year, one of the best parts, through and through, has been time with my dogs. 

I’ve written about them on here before, I know, but maybe on the last day of 2020, they deserve my attention in a different way. This year, they’ve been my constant companions. Not traveling means I haven’t slept a night apart from them; not going into my office means that our days are spent together. Perhaps the brightest spot of working from home, in fact, has been having them always within reach. 

At night, one of them is usually on my bed; occasionally, as with unexpected thunder last week, they both wind up right next to me. As my belly has grown, they’ve seemed to sense my more vulnerable state, with patience that leads them to sleep in when I need to and curl up next to me on the couch when that’s all I can do. When I’ve been particularly exhausted, they’re still the ones who get me outside. 

There have been some days when I haven’t seen anyone else; there have been some where I’ve only talked to them. They brighten my heart, without fail. 

I know and understand that when my baby arrives, my attention will be diverted. I worry some about that; these puppies have been with me for the last 5+ years and have made my life so much better in that time. I want them to still feel my love, still know how much I adore them. And I hope that they’ll welcome the human baby, too (I think they will). 

As I was going through pictures of this last year to find ones I wanted to share for this post, I was struck by how much I have been able to see, how much did occur in 2020. But still, it’s the puppies I come back to. Perhaps more than anything, they are my reminder that joy begins at home, with those we love, regardless of what’s happening outside. 

I hope that our world expands again in 2021, but even if it does, I also hope I continue to hold these sweet souls closely. As so many before me have said, I’m not sure that we deserve dogs, but I am so grateful that they are here. 

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I don’t know if I would have made it through this year without them. I am so thankful I didn’t have to try. So happy New Year’s, friends. May the blessings you count this year begin at home.