I Understand…

I’ve never been one to turn away from the raw and real, and nitty gritty about life. I don’t seek it out, but if it comes looking for me, I’ve tried to equip myself to the best of my ability to meet it. Hence my training as an EMT, my training in psychology, and my involvement with dog training and rescue. I figure that pretty much covers most of the bases.

As life often has a tendency to bunch up, I’m in a period where many people I know are being faced with emotionally wrenching decisions. The phone has been busy…

Two calls last week were from opposite sides of the same coin of a very tough decision.

One was from a woman with four young kids and a husband on disability who was being put out of her home. Her mother said she could move in with her, but she would have to get rid of her three dogs. She couldn’t do it.  Her extended family is disgusted with her for not choosing the “easy” solution to her problems. For her, giving away her dogs would be tantamount to having to choose which kids she got to keep and which she’d have to send away. It was too much to ask.

I understand.

The other call was from a guy who took home a couple of puppies that had been abandoned by the side of the road. If he had not done so, they would have faced certain death. After a year, he is finding that one of the puppies has more energy and needs than he has the ability to meet. He’s asked for help in finding her a good home. He’s sad about the choice he feels he has to make, but for him there is no other option.

I understand.

It’s so easy to judge from the outside and say that either one of these people is “right” or “wrong” for the decisions they’ve made. I’ve been around the block enough times to know that there is only what we each can do to the best of our abilities. Both of these people are thoughtful, caring people faced with an impossible decision. They have each taken a lot of time and looked deeply within themselves before deciding. They have each made the only decision that they can live with.

I understand.

 

2 thoughts on “I Understand…”

  1. Sometime, we do find ourselves caught between a rock and a hard place. When we do, we do our best and hope for the best. That’s all we can do. I understand and feel for both scenarios above.

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