Originally published on 25 January 2021
It wasn’t until 5:30 PM on Sunday evening when I realized I hadn’t penned any words for this weekly letter.
I’ve been a bit distracted.
Our new puppy—Phoebe—is quite a handful.
All week, most of my “free” mental energy has gone into housebreaking this new pup while also juggling homeschool, a toddler, and as always, the never-ending dishes.
Then on Friday evening, while playing with our pup outside, my wife tripped and sprained her ankle which meant I had 4 creatures to look after this weekend.
All this is to say, I’ve learned something this week.
If you ever want a crash course on managing reality, adopt a puppy.
Puppies are cute and fuzzy. They’re also microcosms of the destructive, random, and relentless nature of Life.
Sometimes Life sh*ts on your new carpet.
Sometimes Life keeps you up at night.
Sometimes Life doesn’t want to conform to your needs, hopes, and aspirations.
This is what we call reality.
It is what it is; It’s not what it’s not.
But other times, we think it is what it’s not. We whine, we complain, we kick and scream hoping that by the end of our fit things will go back to normal. They usually don’t.
Because Life — and I’m really talking about Life this time, not puppies — Life is nothing more than a series of situations that need managing.
When a puppy chews on something she’s not supposed to chew, you give her a proper chew toy, you manage the situation. When a puppy has an accident in the house, you take her outside, you manage the situation.
Becoming frustrated at the fact that things aren’t going your way isn’t going to house train your puppy, you have to manage the situation.
So, whatever Life throws at you, ask yourself: What can I still manage here?
If you do, you’ll be better off than most people.
Now if you’ll excuse me, Life is tearing up my rug.
(Thank you for your patience this week, I’ll have more learnings to share in next week’s “Learning Letter” once I get some semblance of normalcy back.)
Until next week,
Declan
P.S. – Heads up: my book, Contentment in Chaos, is free for Kindle Unlimited users for a few more days. Grab a copy while you can!
