Lessons from Lola - Poop Happens

Unfortunately, because Lola was exclusively an outside dog prior to moving in with me, she isn’t 100% house broken.  For the most part, she has done great.  But let’s face it, I work long days.  And until she adjusts, well…poop happens. 

So here’s the thing.  Lola doesn’t want to have an accident inside.  She sure doesn’t want to do anything that upsets me because she is an extreme pleaser.  She loves her momma very much.  But until she gets adjusted to my schedule, she may from time to time have an accident.  And it really isn’t her fault.  So I’m not going to waste time and energy getting overly upset about it.  The good news?  I have wood and tile floors.  Cleanup is a breeze.  Doesn’t mean I want to do it, but at least it isn’t terrible.

I’ve been thinking about this situation in relation to life in general.  Bad stuff just happens.  The windshield wiper breaks.  The paperwork piles up.  The coworker gets bent out of shape.  The laundry pile grows.  The bill gets forgotten.  The dishwasher breaks.  You get the idea.  Poop happens.  It is our response to the poop that really and truly matters.

I find that the older I get, the less I’m inclined to get all crazy about this stuff.  Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t like it when it feels like everything that can go wrong does.  But getting all worked up about it serves no purpose whatsoever. 

With Lola, there are only a few things I can control.  I can take her out consistently.  I can control when and how much she eats and drinks.  I can usually control how long I’ll be gone.  I can control how I choose to train her.  In fact, I’m going to go buy a kennel today in order to begin crate training.  That is something I can control.  Something I can do to make the situation better.

The rest of life is the same.  There are only a limited number of things you can control.  You do your best to take care of those things, to be proactive in maintenance, etc.  But ultimately, when poop happens, as it always will, you then get to decide how you are going to respond.  Are you going to pout and mope for a week?  Are you going to whine to all of your friends and colleagues?  Or are you going to put your big girl panties on and just deal with it.  Better yet, are you going to put your enthusiasm socks on and jump in and get the poop cleaned up.