Walker Dog is Mad at Us

It's common knowledge that human nature is resistent to change. And, I think most of us would agree that as we get older, we get more and more resistent to that change. I don't so much mind change. Sometimes I really get excited about it. Like this weekend. We switched our dining room and study. And I love it.

While I like change, it isn't necessarily spontaneous. It actually seems to be easier if change is done in stages or small increments. Some of that is by my own nature and some of that waiting and easing into change is imposed by my precious hubby. It was about 6 months ago that I first proposed this idea that would give us a larger dining room with better flow and access to the kitchen and deck.

However, while we were ready for this change, Walker was not. Sunday night (the day of the switch), Walker paced and whined all night not understanding where he was supposed to settle. He didn't quite understand why he had to switch rooms along with the furniture. When Will left for work on Monday, Walker was pittiful and trembling, feeling all out of sorts and off balance.

Walker Dog has never been huge on change, but he isn't quite as good at the flexibility and adapting to new situations as he was when he was younger. The first night we moved in to this house last November he spent about 20 minutes exploring and roaming around before he went to the front door and told us he was ready to go "home." He spent that night wandering and whining, too, trying to settle and find his place.

I guess most of us can relate. Walker didn't get to have 6 months to decide about this move. We forced it on him.

So, we spent time last night loving him in his new space and patting him while he was on his bed and praising him when he got in his bed. He did much better last night, and we rested better, too, without all the interruptions.

While I like to say I'm flexible and adaptable and open to change, I must admit that usually my first reaction is resistence (unless it's my idea - that I have likely been considering for awhile). It doesn't mean that that change isn't for the better or that in the end I'll love it more than what I had before. It just means that we get familiar and comfortable with our lives. The energy to make changes is a cost and a risk. And, we have to weigh whether or not it's worth it and summon up all the energy and resources to make it happen, not always knowing whether we'll like it or not. Then, what happens to me, is I get all caught up in my head and having to figure everything out.

And actually sometimes, I think it's easier to experience change like Walker Dog. When it just happens to me - out of my control - and I can whine and wander for a while and then I figure out how to deal with it, rather than having to spend all this time thinking about it.