We Always Come Back To The Here And Now

Seriously. January is almost over with?  This was the topic of discussion over the weekend while Lisa and I worked on a few DIY Dog Mom Projects for the Bodacious 7 Days Of Love. That's how we spent most of our weekend. Cutting. Sanding. Painting. Adding details. Cutting fabric. Planning out what we'd offer for those 7 days of love. At one point, I asked the big question. The question that led to a whole other discussion.

"You're almost 50. Here you are. Saturday. Painting doggy toy boxes. Do you miss your old life?"

To back up a bit, there was a time when Lisa and I had a completely different life. We weren't together at the time, but there's a lot of similarities. We traveled for both work and pleasure. We hung out with friends at clubs. Friday and Saturday evenings were very seldom spent at home. One of those evenings involved consuming a little too much booze. We were available on a whim to attend birthday parties, backyard barbecues, or any gathering that involved a large group of people, adult beverages, and too much food.

This is what I mean when I say, "old life." I'm referring to hers. To mine. To everything we used to do.

Lisa shook her head no immediately.

"Nope. Not at all. I love my life. Our life. I'm a homebody now and I'm quite content and happy with that. I enjoy spending time with you and the kids on the weekends, getting stuff done around the house and working on these projects. I wouldn't change a thing."

She stopped painting for a few seconds, looked up, and asked me the same question.

"What about you?"

"No. I don't miss it. I've traveled to some neat places, had a lot of good times with great people, danced the night away on a lot of dance floors, and drank my fair share of funky cocktails. That doesn't interest me anymore. I'm quite happy here at home with you and the kids and our crazy Dog Mom life. I feel settled. Content."

We dove into a conversation about how much our lives have changed over the years especially since adopting Coco and launching Bodacious Biscuit Love. And, over the past few years as our family went from 3 members to 6.

Our tribe has become smaller. A lot of doors no longer swing both ways. Life is crazy. There's never enough hours in the day to get everything done. Housework is never ending. We very seldom go out together. Date nights are usually spent at home. Invitations to backyard barbecues or other gatherings have become very far and few between. Roads don't seem to travel both ways anymore.  The list goes on.

We're Dog Moms. Proud Dog Moms. We're content. Satisfied. Regardless of how busy and crazy life gets with baking biscuits or spending the weekend making DIY Dog Mom Projects, all of that trumps those changes and challenges we've faced over the years.

I'm not trying to paint a pristine white picket fence. We have our days. Life throws those curve balls and all of that messy stuff. Lisa and I have the occasional spat. There have been nights when I can't wait until Lisa and the kids go to bed so I can have quietttttttttttttttttt. Once in a blue moon, I've been known to cry while baking biscuits on the overnight because I'm beyond tired.

We're both human.

What matters is that we're both on the same page. Content. There are no regrets about the changes and decisions we've made. We don't look back and long for our old life. Instead, we look back and reminisce. Crack jokes about the stupid shit we did. Talk about the misery of watching a baseball game at 7 p.m. when it was 105 degrees outside with soupy humidity. Gotta love Texas. Or, the early morning business meetings after a night out with coworkers.

We always come back to the here and now. At the kitchen table. On a Saturday evening. Painting leash/pup apparel holders and doggy toy boxes.

And, the occasional snicker about who paints better...