”Where there is an open mind,
there will always be a frontier.”

— Charles Kettering

I am living in a bit of a bubble.

The pandemic felt like a bubble lifestyle of sorts.

In the past, I have put myself in a bubble when choosing not to watch television during one of the election cycles.

It is not my natural state to shut out a variety of inputs to my life. I thrive on diversity of thought and experience. I partake in new things to spice up my life. I feel most alive when busy and challenged.

Right now, I am busy and challenged — but cloistered in an upstairs room of my house with a first-time mother dog and her litter of puppies that are less than a week old. I am in a puppy bubble.

The attention that newborn puppies require is intense. They need to be fed every two hours round the clock. The mother dog is new to her job – but is learning quickly and following her instincts. We are a real team. The French Bulldog named Keller inspired by Helen Keller, surprised us all by getting pregnant. Then surprised us again by giving birth to a litter of six just after our vet exam. Was he surprised!

We all thought that I had weeks before she was due. So, I am taking a crash-course in being a puppy-mother-sidekick. I could not be doing it without the support of many experienced and willing friends. Though I started the planning when we discovered the pregnancy, I didn’t have anything prepared for creating a ‘whelping box’ and have all the necessary things to bring a litter of newborns home.

This is where the friends come in. I was happy to share the exciting news of Keller’s pregnancy. Then the surprising news of her labor and delivery while racing home for a work trip to Washington D.C. Immediately, friends started to offer their help.

And I have been accepting the aid. In life, I am the one who likes to be the helper. And I know I could learn to receive more graciously more often. Because this whole experience feels like being dropped into the deep end of the pool without ‘floaties,’ I am accepting all pieces of advice, helping hands, offers, and encouragement.

There is a small puppy party going on in my home. Want to join the bubble?

I have a newly found appreciation for new mothers and fathers. Though I can intellectualize the experience – my life has been turned topsy-turvy in just a days’ time.

The responsibility is intense. The experience is humbling, joy-filled, and like nothing I have ever encountered. I found out very quickly that I was to run out of hands and didn’t have all the things I needed.

When it was said, “It takes a Village,” they were right. It contributes to making the whole experience more enjoyable and the puppies more likely to be safe and healthy.

I didn’t plan this diversion. Yet, I am so grateful and appreciative for all the lessons learned.

One of the puppies was born with a cleft upper lip. I needed to feed this little girl on her own hoping that she could latch. On the third day of sleeplessness, she quietly let go of life as I could not supply her with enough nutrition.

Why is it that birth and death are like bookends in our lives?

I really understand the fragility of life right now. These little pups and their mother are reliant upon me.

I like responsibility and never shirk what I need to do — however, this is a new level of understanding responsibility. As usual, the lessons are falling from the sky. I have long periods of time to reflect as the puppy’s feed. It is an unusual time — yet one of great stretching and focus.

I am grateful for the help. Grateful that it is summer with long and light days. I am grateful that only one of my two female French Bulldogs became pregnant. Grateful for the five other dogs in the household that are supporting me and their pack buddy, Momma Keller. As the anxiousness and worry subsides, the joy flows in with each day and each ounce of weight the puppy’s gain.

• Have you had a similar experience of doing something you were totally unprepared to do?

• How did you navigate?

Leslie

“There is nothing on this earth
more to be prized
than true friendship.”

— Thomas Aquinas