To Life, To Life, L'chaim
So here's the thing you need to know about me. I am an introvert. I will often say, sarcastically, (because, oh yeah- I am sarcastic!) that I hate people. That isn't true. Completely. But I once heard the difference between introversion and extroversion described as how you re-charge your batteries. If you need to be surrounded by other people to recharge your batteries, you're an extrovert. If you need to be alone to recharge your batteries, you're an introvert. I, my dear readers, am 100% an introvert. I love my friends and family and I love going out and having a good time, but at the end of the day, a nice, quiet walk in the woods, swim in a pool, or binging TV on the couch is what refills my tanks.
Little Dog....well...that dog is 100% an extrovert.
He...
Loves...
People!
And if you think I don't let that fact effect my life, well, you would be wrong. I do grocery pick-up so that I can take him to greet the people that bring the groceries to the car. I shop at Old Navy, Tractor Supply, Home Depot, Lowes, and Bed, Bath and Beyond (RIP!) just so I can take him with me to get roughly ALL of the attention from passers-by. I recently had an entire conversation with a couple of strangers in Pet Smart about what shampoos and brushes are best to use with poodle-type hair. Did I, as an introvert, want to tell them what I had discovered worked and what I might yet try? Ummm...well, kinda. I am a librarian and although we are a notoriously silent and people-averse group, we do LOVE to impart helpful information, so there's that! But no! Don't distract me from my point which is this: because my dog loves meeting new people and because I love my dog, I will gladly stand in the middle of a store and wax philosophical about the merits of brushes versus combs and whether a conditioner for dogs even exists.
And that, dear reader, is my spark of joy for the day. When you stretch yourself for the happiness it brings to the ones you love, it kinda makes even the worst introvert love people, and that is an amazing power!