Day 2: Chaos Creates Priorities
If you've never travelled with five nervous puppies in kennels in the back of your car for many, MANY hours, you cannot fully understand the level of chaos that ensues when you stop for a pee break. (Or, when there's a back-end blow-out 15 minutes into the drive. ) These are the situations that bring your priorities to light...really quickly!
I'm a planner. It's one of my super powers. In my head, I can envision how a thing is going to go down; the steps, in sequence, that will unfold as required to get from A to B.
So I had a plan for pee breaks with these puppies as we drove them from Quesnel to Victoria, BC. We'd stop the car, open the hatch and one of the kennels, leash the dogs within and place them on the ground and they'd pee, drink some water and get back into the kennels. We'd repeat with the second batch and be on our merry way again. It would all be neat and orderly and efficient.
Things didn't go exactly like that. Are you surprised?
Here's how pee breaks actually went:
Car stops; screeching begins. Hatch opens. Screeching gets louder x100. My friend described the sound as "50 seagulls dying in an enclosed space" and that's as accurate as I can be. I invite you to imagine the ambience that creates.
We open the first kennel and two puppies burst out, yipping, biting, screeching, flailing. My fellow transporter and I wrangle leashes onto collars and then puppies onto the ground where they either freeze in place, try to hide under the vehicle, or wail like their tails are caught in the door.
One puppy's cheap collar pops and they are loose in the gas station parking lot. Quickly hand leash to other human and chase puppy down, grab them by their scruff and hoist them up, then hunt through the bags in back of the car for a better collar. Wrestle squirmy ball of cuteness into new collar -- which is too big, so needs to be tightened. Hook on the leash. Place puppy on ground. Hope for pee. Nope.
Find bowl and water jug in back of car from last stop. Fill bowl. Try to herd puppies to it to drink. They do not.
When it seems first puppies have had enough of a "break," attempt to put them back: pick them up, remove leash, place them into kennel. Remove hands and attempt to close door. Push puppy faces and paws back in and attempt to close door again. Repeat x 5 until door is secured.
Remember we are short one collar, so open kennel back up, remove collar and repeat closing procedure again, x 3-5 more times.
Open second kennel, and repeat with three new, revved up puppies who have been waiting their turn, quite impatiently, who also are in some sort of wrestling tournament that has no pause button. Catch puppies before they nose-dive off the bumper. Repeat the entire ordeal with three puppies instead of two.
Dump out water dish. Throw bowl, water jug, leashes, wipes into back of car. One human stays with car while other uses gas station washroom. Repeat with other human. Grab snacks from cooler as re-buckling seatbelts and get back on the highway while nervously calculating travel time to last ferry of the day.
Did I mention that the puppies who remain in the kennels are screaming and scratching to be released at a volume that makes people come out of their houses and yell at us? Well, they are and that happened.
As our journey progressed, and we grew more and more weary and the puppies more and more agitated, our priorities became quite clear:
1. Keep puppies alive.
2. Get to the ferry so we can get home tonight and won't have to spend a night in a hotel with five puppies.
Everything else fell to the wayside. Things that would normally have made the pit stops and the journey more manageable, like human meals, or re-packing gear and bags in an organized way so we could find things quickly and efficiently at the next stop. Just. Didn't. Happen.
We were in pure survival mode and our two priorities made us laser-focused and propelled us to the finish line.
Once we each got home, with only our own puppy creating chaos, new priorities emerged. In our house, our priorities became:
1. Get her outside to do her business.
2. Kennel training.
3. Human sleep.
4. Work and school.
For the first week, anything else that we'd normally do in our orderly life was put on hold. Luckily, I had a quiet work week, my clients are forgiving and most people love puppies, so they understood my lack of brain function.
As the weeks passed, our family stayed committed to some high-level priorities, like puppy toileting, socialization, kennel and other behaviour training to help Suzanne learn to be a part of our family. And, some projects we had planned stayed on pause for several weeks longer than expected: completing a Murphy bed installation, enjoying a weekend away on a nearby island, doing housework, tending to personal hygiene. Ahem.
And, my work time is still not as productive as pre-puppy, but that's okay. There's a trade off: I get to be present to her needs, go for more walks, and when I am able to work uninterrupted for any length of time, I'm focused on the most important things, not the lower-level or less urgent things. And some days, like today, I can sit down and write a whole story in one go because she's sleeping under my desk.
The Rest of Our Lives
So, what lessons can be applied to the rest of our lives, whether or not we have a puppy in our homes? Here are some questions that may help you realize the essential things that emerge from chaotic, unplanned or messy situations.
Our Households and Families
What is creating chaos in your family or household right now -- over-scheduling, clutter, lack of designated work space, the unknown?
Can you take a deep breath and choose one, two or three things (no more!) to prioritize, such as sleep, healthy food, getting fresh air everyday, having stillness, movement, powering down screens, connecting with your people. And let everything else pause. Remember: it may not be paused forever, just a day, a week, a season.
Our Businesses and Workplaces
What are you doing that you've always done that doesn't need to be continued? Can you stop it to make space and energy for what matters most?
What systems and processes can be put in place to automate time-sucking activities, so you or your team can focus on deeply invigorating and impactful work?
Ourselves
Where do we notice chaos living in ourselves -- our bodies, minds, spirits, thought?
How can we slow down and listen for what is most meaningful, most important to us?
Can we dial down the noise and distraction and expectations and obligations and prioritize ourselves?
What else?
Where else are you experiencing prioritizing from chaos? Share your thoughts with me by replying, or posting on my social channels. Let’s keep this conversation going.
The bottom line: Chaos feels messy, AND it reveals what's most essential.
Puppy Update:
I’m happy to report that the level of chaos has substantially subsided over our months with Suzanne. She’s settled into the rhythm of our household…although the time change last weekend has created some complaints about when it’s the right time for a walk!
