Renunciation
Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash
We recently got a puppy, and our lives have changed drastically as a result. We are making hourly potty trips to the yard, spending time crate training, and puppy playing, training "leave it" and "potty", and "sit". This puppy business takes so much time and energy, and though I've always wanted a dog, I never felt like I was willing to sacrifice what I knew it would take. Recently though, something shifted. Matt and I were both willing to renounce our old lives of pure freedom for something else, and it wasn't even a question of whether or not it was the right time. Of course, the old "us" before puppy is gone, replaced with a new version of ourselves, one that includes puppy into the equation. The new "us" is comprised of people who care for another little being. This transition has been both a death of the old us, and a birth of a new us. Isn't this the way with these types of transitions, or renunciations? Parts of us, of our egos have to die in order to make space for new life, new opportunities, and new growth. Just because it's good, doesn't mean it can't also hurt, or be painful, or scary. Although I love our little Auggie, I'd be lying if I told you this hasn't been a difficult process. Matt and I loved our lives together, just the two of us, and changing things has been hard, even if the things we are giving up for puppy are temporary. Birth and death are so connected, we often need one to experience the other. Birth often means the death of something, and death, often makes way for the birth of something new literally and figuratively. Knowing this can help us through the process.