A Change of Perspective

I got a phone call Saturday from someone at the boarding kennel that I have used to take care of my dogs when I need to be out of town. 

She informed me that the kennel will be closing for good on a date in September. The staff at this kennel have taken care of my dogs over the years for 16 years. The facility has been in operation for more than 60 years. 

The building itself is showing its age, and it doesn't have the amenities that many boarding kennels seem to have: play groups, swimming pools, etc. But the staff throughout these 16 years has been wonderful. They take really good care of my dogs, who happily walk off with whichever employee comes to my car to escort my dogs into the kennel. The owner has also been great to work with. The same is true of the office staff. So to say I was shocked to hear the news that Dan is retiring and the kennel will be closing for good was a real shock. 

I have already booked a stay for my dogs in October, which means I now need to find a new boarding kennel. In addition to boarding, there's a groomer who works there who has taken great care of my dogs' grooming needs. The kennel also has been active in helping homeless animals. 

Another organization runs a pet food bank that is located at the kennel. The future of this pet food bank is now in serious jeopardy. If it goes away, that means untold numbers of people will have to find other ways of providing food for their dogs and cats. I'm hoping that a new location for the pet food bank can be found. 

I have started the search to find a new boarding kennel for my dogs. 

Hearing that this kennel will close for good in September really distressed me. But after feeling sorry for myself because I have to start looking for a new place to board my dogs, I realized that I need to change my perspective. 

Yes, I am being inconvenienced by the closure of the kennel. But my inconvenience is nothing compared to the impact of the closure on many other people. The pet food bank will most likely close. And all the kennel employees, some of whom have worked there for many, many years, now have to find new jobs. Finding a job in this economy isn't easy. 

So I have decided to start doing what I need to do, and to accept the situation in which I find myself. Realizing that the impact of the closure on me is much less than on a lot of other people, makes moving forward without distress a whole lot easier.