<a href="http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/meandboo.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-304" title="meandboo" src="http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/meandboo.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a>
<h5 style="padding-left: 90px;"><em>This is me &amp; my brother-in-law's pug-beagle mix, Boo. Photo by Jason Berg.
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When my girls were babies and I was breastfeeding them, my busy days were punctuated by moments of peace and calm. (Don't worry, I'll get to the part about dogs, soon.)

This was especially true when my second daughter was a baby, and her sister was a busy toddler. I worked part-time as a copywriter at a design firm, and had all the typical household chores to look after. Q was in the midst of potty training (a battle of wills), and was starting to enjoy play dates and other organized activities. <strong>But in the midst of the bustle, I could always count on the baby needing to be fed.</strong>

Sometimes, when I was in the middle of gardening, or needed to start dinner, I harbored a touch of resentment towards that hungry baby. "Can't you just get a snack to hold you over for a while? Or distract yourself with some activity?"

But she was a baby, of course, and there was only one thing she needed. And always, <em>always</em>, once I succumbed to her need, I felt grateful. <strong>Someone needed me, and I had permission to set everything else aside to attend to that need.</strong> The best part, was that the need required sitting still, and being completely relaxed. Sometimes I read, but usually I just sat, and enjoyed my baby.
<h4>Busy days punctuated by peaceful intervals</h4>
I'm not having any more babies, though, so you guessed it—this is where the dog comes in.

Before you all really start to worry about me, I know a dog is a dog, not a human being. I realize the dog will eat dog food, and I don't need to hold it while it does. I also know that getting a dog simply in the hopes of filling some hole in my life is unrealistic and possibly even disastrous. Jason and I have talked extensively about the pros and cons of having a dog in our lives, and there are multiple reasons we've decided the decision and time are right (most of them revolving around our middle daughter, the Dog Whisperer).

But a couple of weeks ago, as I felt my life spinning slightly out of control around me, with too many deadlines and responsibilities, I realized what I wished for. <strong>I wished I had an excuse to just sit, and be calm a few times a day, like when I was breastfeeding.</strong> And it suddenly occurred to me how much love and attention dogs need, and how soothing and relaxing it is just to sit and stroke a dog.

The other thing dogs need is regular exercise, which happens to be something I need, too. I can't count how often I am craving a 20-minute walk in the middle of the day, just to get away from my computer and clear my head, but I usually talk myself out of it because I have "too much to do."

Even though there will certainly be times when I'd rather not pull myself away from what I'm doing and leave the warm, dry house to walk the dog (just like there were moments when I wished I didn't have to stop to feed my baby), <strong>I know this routine will be good for me. It will feed my soul and stretch my legs, and offer fresh air and time to think.</strong>

That's what's been missing in my life lately, I think, especially now that the girls are getting older and more self-sufficient. I've been missing a reason to hit pause on the busyness, and just BE.
<h4>The search for the right dog is on</h4>
The past month or so we've been looking for the right dog to adopt. That saga is worthy of a whole separate blog post, but we just may have met our match. Last night, Jason and I drove out to Zionsville, Indiana, to meet a seven-month-old pug-beagle mix at the home of her foster family. She's a sweetheart—calm, docile and easygoing. She settled into my lap as if she would have happily stayed there for hours. Petting her silky ears and neck was like a drug, lulling me into a thick, sweet stupor—one that I just might get to experience in my own living room some day soon. I'll keep you posted.