Small Victories

This has been a weird week. I've been tired, cranky, frustrated, and sick. Because this is not my usual state of being, when I get like this, everything I'm feeling is amplified. Annoyance turns into anger. Weariness becomes melancholy. Small frustrations become paralyzing obstacles. I want to sleep.

There is nothing to be done about the days slowed by illness, but wallowing is an exercise in futility. Part of my frustration stems from my inability to complete anything of consequence this week, so laying around only makes it worse. Instead, I'm going to try one of those annoying self-help tricks, where I list everything I did accomplish.

Wrote a little.

Weeded through half the crap in my room.

Did laundry. And put it away.

Got the new shower rod and curtain.

Nursed my vomiting child.

Tried a new tactic with Cobie, and it seems to be working.

Actually, that last one is pretty significant, because monitoring her behavior has been a huge part of each day.  After writing about her, I decided to stop trying to re-train her. Although she had been sleeping all night in her crate, lately she'd been barking, and then I would find her standing in her pee. Now, most dogs think of their crate as a safe haven, but at this point I decided it must be causing her great anxiety, so I let her sleep in the (gated) kitchen. No more barking.

I had an epiphany. I realized Cobie is like those children of mine that cannot be negatively incented. I had been trying to bend her to my will, and it just wasn't working. As her behavior worsened, I had imposed more restrictions, which made her behavior worse. I decided to give her what I thought she wanted--freedom.

I gave her access to roam the house. I set the timer to take her out on a regular schedule, but I let her determine the rhythm of her day. Apparently, this means lots of sleeping on my couch, while Leo sleeps on the floor below her. When she wakes up, I take her outside. One takes her for a walk, and she and Leo play for a bit outside. Three days; no accidents. To reward her, last night I put her crate in the garage. I gave her a nice, soft mat to sleep on in the kitchen, because that tile can be unforgiving. Especially if you have no fur.

I feel better.

Okay, your turn. List something you accomplished, even if it seems insignificant.  You can even brag, because that can be inspiring!

Then, go have a great weekend.