i'm being really gentle with myself today.

tomorrow morning, my friend is dropping off her dog at my house. i'm dog
sitting for about two and a half weeks, and i'm really looking forward to it.
the dog is a nervous old hound, and i've been their go-to sitter for the past
six or seven years.

i've spent a lot of time working with dogs, especially ones that are more
difficult to handle. i've never had my own dog.

i always feel honored when a dog that doesn't easily accept others allows me to
greet it on its own terms, and will come with me on a stroll.

i'm aware that i experience an inappropriately high amount of empathy, and this
makes some days hard for me. sometimes, i feel better if i can just step out of
my feedback loop a little, and sit with some dogs, who also experience
excessive empathy. standing next to a dog forces me to turn down the volume on
the more intrusive parts of my internal monologue, in a way that i cannot do if
i'm around humans.

i have a hard time communicating this to people.