November 22, 2020

A Mental Health Day

Yesterday was a much needed mental health day from the blog. It's usually when I'm having a hard time with depression/anxiety that I feel the most vulnerable and sensitive. Things that usually roll right off my back suddenly seem to steam roll me and make me feel like I just can't say or do anything right.

I'm not saying that I'm suddenly "better" and feeling great, but I really needed to take a break from writing yesterday. At least then I couldn't say something "wrong", hahaha. 

I'm so glad that I have my walk streak going, because now I just don't want to end the streak. I really REALLY didn't want to walk yesterday--I was just feeling so bad about myself--but I didn't want to ruin the streak, so I went out anyways. And I always feel better when I'm walking.

This was DEFINITELY me on my walk yesterday morning! Haha:

It's kind of interesting--I've actually started talking with a woman who lives halfway through my five-mile route. She has a black German Shepherd named Roomba (I think I mentioned Roomba before, when she ran after Joey and me and her "dad" had to come get her). Anyway, one day when I was walking Joey, Roomba came running up to us--although acting very skittish--and after a few minutes, felt comfortable enough to play with Joey. 

So, I let Joey off leash to play with Roomba, and Roomba's "mom" and I chatted. I introduced myself and she told me her name was Melissa. The whole way home, I kept thinking that I KNEW her but I just couldn't remember exactly how or what her last name was. I was pretty sure I knew her from high school, so when I got home, I looked through my old yearbooks. I didn't seen anyone who looked familiar with that name, so it still bugged me.

I saw her again a week or so later, and while the dogs were playing, I mentioned how familiar she looked. It turns out that we graduated not only from the same school, but in the same class! (My school was very small, so everyone pretty much knew everyone.) When she told me her maiden name, I immediately remembered her. I think she was a cheerleader and a part of the more "popular" clique than I was ;) 

I've seen her a couple more times, and it's been nice chatting with her. She and her husband rescued Roomba from a woman who was breeding German Shepherds and apparently, people weren't buying them once the whole COVID pandemic started, so she "had no use" for Roomba and wanted "to get rid of her". How sad is that?!

Roomba had spent her life thus far in a dog crate, being used for breeding. It's been amazing to see the change in her just since the first time I saw her a couple of months ago. She was extremely skittish and sudden movements made her jump and run away. Now, she goes crazy when she sees Joey and they chase after each other. I love it!

It was hilarious a couple of days ago when Joey and I walked by. Roomba ran over to us and they started playing. Being a German Shepherd, Roomba is MUCH faster than Joey (a lab/chow). They started running laps around Roomba's house. First, Joey was chasing Roomba... and then he just got farther and farther behind.

Eventually, Roomba came up behind him, totally lapping him, and they both looked so confused! Hahaha. I really need to get a picture of them playing. Seeing two black rescue dogs play and be SO happy is extremely heart-warming.

My token PSA: I only mention that they are black dogs because black dogs are the least likely to be adopted out! It's so sad. That's one of the reasons we chose Joey, as well as why we chose to adopt the kittens, Chick and Duck--both solid black as well. So, if you're looking for a pet... PLEASE choose one from a shelter or rescue organization; but also, consider adopting a black dog or cat. They need love, too :)


Anyway...

Today, I finally picked up the game I'd ordered from Target--Ticket to Ride (Amazon affiliate link). We don't have a Target nearby, otherwise I would have gone sooner. Thank you so much to those of you that recommended it! We LOVED playing it. Jerry and I played a game first to understand it, and then the kids played a game with us.



I don't know if it's just the lighting, or what, but Jerry's face is extra creepy in this picture!


I was a little overwhelmed when I was reading the directions, but once we got started, it was super simple. I love that you really have to work on strategy, though! It's not a simple game of chance. The kids liked the game and said they'd play it again (which is their best "teen" way of showing approval) but Jerry and I really loved it as a two-player game as well. It was much harder with four people! I came in dead-last ;)

I was cracking up at how we organized our train cars. Mine were the yellow ones and Jerry's were the black ones. Based on our personalities, one would think it'd be the opposite when you look at their organization!



I added to my wishlist a couple of other games that were recommended by readers as well. I've been on a big board game kick lately with this COVID lockdown.

Anyway, I'm feeling better today (thank you for the nice comments on Instagram!). Just a reminder for us all:



And as always... BE KIND!

10 comments:

  1. I'd love to see a picture of Joey and Roomba playing. It is heart warming that they're both rescue dogs and have awesome homes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry for spamming all your posts with comments today! I realized that my comments weren't posting for some reason, I think because I was trying to comment from my phone! I'm glad you took that mental health day! Roomba sounds like such a cutie, I love German shepherds! I would love to see a pic! I always get all emotional when I hear about rescue dogs <3 Also this game sounds super interesting. I might have to look into it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your comment about now wanting to end your walking streak is exactly why I went for a walk on Sunday. It was day 83 of my current streak and I wanted to keep it going. And I did feel better when it was done.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I LOVE black dogs. That is all my family has ever adopted/rescued. This year we picked out a 9 year old special needs black dog named Bella from our local SPCA. I can't even explain how much I love her and what she means to our family! I wish we could have found her sooner so we could love her longer. We spoil her everyday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lucky Bella. Thank you so much for saving and spoiling her! I'm an animal lover and hate to see any animal suffer.

      Delete
  5. Thanks always for the great mental health reminders! Also thanks for talking about black dogs and cats being the last to be adopted. So glad Roomba found a great home.

    ReplyDelete
  6. First time commenter, long time lurker!

    The first dog I ever adopted was a Tri-color Corgi mix who is really mostly black. And then exactly a year later, I found a little black terrier mix while on a drive one day. She has these little white feet and a small white blaze on her chest, but she's 85% black. And then almost exactly a year after that, I agreed to foster a litter of puppies from the local shelter...all or mostly black! I ended up adopting two of them, one of whom is all black except for maybe 2-3 white hairs on his chest, so now I have a posse of mostly- or all-black dogs. :-) It was never my intention to do that but I absolutely love them and mostly just foster black dogs now. :-) I totally agree that they're just so freakin' adorable and deserve as much love and family as anyone pup.

    Glad you've been able to keep your walking streak going!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We didn't rescue Rita (our 13.5 year old black lab). Thank you for rescuing your pets. We did rescue a little white fur ball Ivy (aka June Bug). Rita struggles with old age issues but we know as long as her appetite rages on, she's happy. We spoil her, help her up & down, she has potty accidents @ least daily, her 3 medications cost $502.00 every 3 months, and her most expensive surgery was >$2000.00. People think we're nuts for doing it but it's called LOVE (and some crazy mixed in there too).

      Delete
  7. I'm so glad you liked the game. It's a favorite here when the kids are home, it's usually the first one the pick to play. I never thought to just have DH and I play! I think I'll get it out for Thanksgiving. This is the first year since we've been married (31 yrs) that we will be alone. I can't wait for covid to be over!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your lab/chow looks just like our lab/chow, Bear. We adopted him from a neighbor to keep him from ending up at a shelter. He's the biggest sweetie, and we love him dearly!

    ReplyDelete

I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

Featured Posts

Blog Archive