Finding a Gentler Pace After a Couple of Hectic Weeks.
Some days as a pet sitter are packed with appointments, with barely a moment to catch your breath. Others offer little pockets of breathing room between visits, giving me a chance to catch up with the things that have been quietly piling up at home.
Monday turned out to be a little bit of both.
After a particularly manic couple of weeks, I had reached the point where my brain needed a complete system shutdown. You know when your laptop has been running for too long with too many tabs open, and the only sensible thing to do is to switch off for a while? That was me over the weekend.
Sunday was a day without bookings. I needed to disconnect from the world, take a few naps, and stop thinking about everything that needed doing. No elaborate plans, no pressure to be productive, just some much-needed downtime.
But by Monday morning, it was time to switch back on.
An Early Start And a Trip To Doggy Daycare
Monday began with an early start and a client visit at 7am. There were pets to attend to, a dog to walk, cats to feed and a turtle to look after. Once everything was taken care of, there was still one more job to do: dropping the dog off to doggy daycare.
We had already been out for a short walk. He had managed his wees, but no poo, so I thought perhaps he would take care of that when we arrived at daycare.
Little did I know that the journey itself would provide enough entertainment for one morning.
I have a pet seat cover for my dog fitted across the back seat of my car, with Fluffy’s little bed in place as well. They are usually there for Fluffy when we travel, but on this occasion, they came in handy for transporting my client’s dog. I clipped his harness into the bed to help keep him secure during the journey. Of course, being safely secured does not necessarily mean being still.
We hit the morning school-run traffic, and the journey became rather eventful. He was moving around and howling in the back, while also producing some extremely smelly farts!
And there I was, stuck in traffic with nowhere to go. I started opening the windows, desperately trying to get some fresh air into the car.
My biggest concern was that he might have decided to do a poo in the car as well. Thankfully he didn’t!
When we arrived at the daycare and were waiting outside, he finally did his poo. I was holding his food, ready to hand it over to the the daycare staff. At the time, I had in my mind to pick the poo up once I had finished the handover.
Except, I completely forgot! Oops. My bad.
After all that excitement of the journey, I somehow managed to overlook that one final task. It was not exactly my most organised moment, but these things happen.
The entire morning visit and drop-off took longer than expected, with heavy traffic adding around half an hour to the drive. Once everything was done, I could finally head home.
Back Home, With More To Do
Getting back home did not mean the day was over. I had time for a quick stop to take Fluffy out for his needs before heading straight back out again for another dog walking appointment.
Once I was finally home for a longer stretch, I could turn my attention to the things waiting for me there. There were plants to water, housework to catch up on and all the little jobs that tend to accumulate when you have been busy with work.
The previous couple of weeks had been particularly demanding, with plenty to juggle both professionally and personally. I was ready for a slightly calmer pace, so having a decent block of time at home was welcome.
A lunchtime appointment had been cancelled, which gave me some unexpected breathing room. Rather than rushing to fill that gap with another commitment, I used the time to get on with the housework and restore a little order at home.
It was not the most glamorous way to spend the morning and lunchtime, but it felt good to make progress without constantly watching the clock.
Rush-Hour Traffic and a Reminder About Road Safety
Later in the afternoon, I headed out again for another pet visit.
Driving is an unavoidable part of my work. Getting from one home to another means dealing with different roads, different traffic conditions and the occasional driver who seems to have very little patience.
Monday was a reminder of how quickly an ordinary drive can become stressful.
At one point, I was waiting to pull out from a side street onto the main road when another driver slowed down to let me through. However, his hand gesture suggested he was not particularly pleased about having to wait to give me way. It was one of those moments when you are left wondering whether to feel grateful for being given way or slightly confused about the impatience behind it.
The more concerning incident happened at a main roundabout, where another driver cut across lanes in a way that made the situation genuinely dangerous. It was a reminder of how quickly things can change on the road, even when you are doing everything you should be doing as a safe driver.
When driving is part of your working day, road safety is something you have to think about constantly. I can drive carefully, remain alert and follow the rules, but I cannot control the decisions other drivers make. Someone else’s impatience or lack of attention can suddenly put you in a dangerous position.
These situations are more than a minor inconvenience. They add another layer of stress to an already busy schedule and highlight just how important it is to stay alert whenever you are behind the wheel.
By the time I had finished my afternoon commitments, I was ready to get home.
Finding a Gentler Pace
There is a side to pet sitting that people do not always see. The work involves caring for animals, of course, but there is also the driving, the scheduling, the very early starts to the working day, and the unexpected delays.
A visit might look straightforward on paper, but the time spent getting there, dealing with heavy traffic and getting to the next commitment on time can make a considerable difference to the day.
And then there is everything else: your own pets, your home, the errands that need doing and the personal projects you would still like to make progress on.
I have plenty of ideas and ambitions outside of pet sitting, and I want to keep working towards them. At the same time, I am learning that productivity does not always mean doing more. Sometimes, it means recognising what has already been accomplished and allowing yourself a little breathing room.
After a couple of hectic weeks, Monday was a reminder that I do not need to turn every day into a race against the clock.
There will always be another task to complete, another appointment to prepare for and another idea waiting to be developed. I can still make progress without expecting myself to do everything at once.
Some days are about getting things done. Others are about making space to catch your breath and find your rhythm again.
And sometimes, the most sensible thing you can do is quietly tread along.