It’s 5:00 (in the morning) somewhere…

This past week has been a different kind of week for me. Instead of worrying about having toilet paper and clean dishes and about the front door that does not lock properly in my house for the summer, I was occupied with walking, feeding, and playing with two precious pups. I spent the week dog-sitting for the Associate Director of Student Activities at William and Mary, Anne Arseneau. I’ve known Anne for about two years now through my positions on the Inter-Sorority Council, and she has invited me into her home several times before – although never to live there for a week. But this week, she entrusted me with the care of Pharis and Gidget (and her home and tomato plants) while she went on a vacation. I have a dog at home (I miss Homer quite a bit while I’m away in Williamsburg!), so I jumped at the chance to spend time with dogs as well as make a few extra dollars to use on the weekends (or to pay my rent or buy groceries, which would be the more responsible uses for any extra money).

Sleeping in today until 7am was quite a treat, after rising each morning between 5:00 and 5:30 last week. Pharis would come right up to my face and start sniffing, and Gidget would start pawing on the floor before the sun even rose. So the dogs and I would get up, get some breakfast, and go on a walk before I came to work at the Admission Office. I arrived at work at 8am with the other interns; most of them had only been awake for about thirty minutes of the day, and I was almost ready for a nap! I found myself worrying at lunch time about Pharis and Gidget, if they were okay, if they needed anything, even though Anne reassured me that they were dogs and they would be fine. And when I went home to them after work, they were so happy to see me. Gidget would jump as high as she could, and Pharis would try hard (he’s fourteen years old). The two little Jack Russell Terriers made me smile at the end of the day. It is just nice to see someone, even just a dog, so excited to see you. The simplest things made Pharis and Gidget happy, and I think being around a pet can help to refresh my appreciation for the simple things in life. I was flattered that Anne had trusted me to take care of such a source of happiness, and as much as I might be glad to see a clock say 7:00 instead of 5:15, I’m going to miss Pharis and Gidget. Although I have a feeling that I won’t be missing them for very long; Anne has, on occasion, been known to feed the cooking-challenged college students…