Take Your Job Seriously

But make time for fun

“Don't be so busy making a living that you forget how to live. Work hard to be successful, but enjoy the journey.” ~David Cottrell

Mala and Tessie

It’s springtime in Colorado, which means you never know what you’re going to get. One minute it could be snowing, the next it could be sunny and warm. Mom did great this week at making time for fun. She always works hard since she owns her own business and it’s up to her to keep things running, even though she’s simultaneously recovering from knee surgery. We had some sunny days this week, and Mom was able to move more, so we got out for a couple of playdates with our best friend, Cody. We went to the dog park on Tuesday and for a walk in our nearby park yesterday. Mom must have pushed herself a little too far yesterday because she had to take a nap and ice her knee when we got home, but we had a blast chasing each other and rolling in every snow patch that we could find.

This weekend is going to be even nicer, so Mom has promised another outing to the dog park, lunch at our favorite restaurant (Lazy Dog), and an easy hike on Sunday. We’re really good at the “taking time for fun” part of this lesson, but our predecessor, Ella, was exceptional at her job as head of security, so we’ll let her take it from here.

Ella

I took my job as head of security for our family seriously since day one. I spent lots of time in the backyard, patrolling the fence, barking at the elementary school kids who were out at recess in the field that backed up to our fence, and fighting with the red squirrel who loved to run along the top of the fence and climb the branches of our trees. That squirrel provoked me by chattering at me – the nerve!

Our backyard had a big green neighborhood electrical box. It turned out to be the perfect height for me to stand on and put my paws on top of the fence to see everything that was happening behind the house. If a dog happened to be walking along the street a block over on the path that came around to our neighborhood, I was sure to let them know that they were intruding on my territory! While I was a medium-sized dog (50 pounds), my bark was that of a much larger, more intimidating dog. My other backyard post was the lawn chair, which I climbed into when I wasn’t patrolling the fence.

I didn’t appreciate much about our cat, Kali (who seemed quite smitten with me), but I did respect her ability to climb trees and walk along the top of the fence. Mom referred to Kali as “Tower Two” because she provided our security team with a bird’s-eye view.

When I wasn’t out in the yard, I was in the recliner by the picture window in the front of the house, watching for the suspicious man in the brown truck who dared to drop things off at our front door.

When we moved to a 1.5-acre lot in the mountains, my parents said I could retire from my security job, but I worked right up until the day I couldn’t go outside on my own anymore. I chased chipmunks and gave that man in the brown truck a piece of my mind when he had the nerve to breach my perimeter. Mala didn’t bark much when I was still around, but I taught her everything I knew, and after I left my Earthly body, I was proud to look down and see that she had picked up right where I left off. She gets even more upset at that man with the brown truck than I did!

Even though I took my job seriously, I made time for fun. I enjoyed my daily walks, weekend hikes, and playing with my squeaky toys. Playing fetch was silly – why would I keep bringing it to you, if you’re just going to throw it again? However, I did have fun running around in the field behind the house or at the park down the road.

I helped Mom make time for fun too. She worked long hours sometimes but would make sure to take me for a walk or jog daily. It got her off of her computer and outside in nature where she could relax and have a bit of fun. While it’s good to be proud of your work, it’s important to not let it define who you are. You are so much more than your job title. Be sure to explore what makes you feel alive and make time for that every day.