Spring comes early in Texas. We already have flowering trees, lawns to mow, and rain showers that bring May flowers. For me, this spring is full of travel with a bit of anxiety tossed in. I’m not heading anywhere grand - I have lots of 3 day weekends that take me to from Maine to Louisiana, Boston, and Georgia. And my anxiety does not revolve around air travel or the recent health scare (although those do complicate life in general). My anxiety is all about four-legged dependents.

My first trip has already passed and kept me away just three days, but the prep took double that time (or felt like it did). I’m not referring to packing, but to the amount of organization needed to leave our seven creatures. I create an overwhelming amount of anxiety for myself when it comes to being away from our animals, and I always strive to keep their lives as normal as possible in my absence. Animals do best when things stay predictable, so I work hard to hire the right caretakers and train them well - probably to the point of driving them nuts. And this goes for Sterling too. Despite that he lives in a full care barn, I always find someone to replicate what I do with him on my daily visits; it only seems fair and it lessens my worry.

So, the simple act of leaving the house for a few days has become a multi-layered and self-imposed stressor. And then there is the actual being away. Although I do have fun once I’m gone and I love a little break just as much as the next person, I recently realized that I’ve become a HOMEBODY. I’ve always loved travel, and we’ve also moved twice as many times as the average family. Everyone assumes we are military when I say we’ve relocated 11 times in 30 years. But these moves were our choosing - we often yearned for change. But now I find that the excitement of going away is tampered with equal desire to get back home. Much of this is because, for me, home means creatures. When I visit someone’s house I always look for two things: animals and books. When I find either, I’m at home myself.

I am most happy when there are animals close by, and when I travel that is the missing piece. This doesn’t mean that I won’t travel - I love discovering new places and visiting family and friends - it’s one of the best parts of life. But this was the first trip where I found myself in touch with this part of me. I find it impacts the quality of my rest too because no matter where I am, I still wake at the wee hours of the morning thinking I have mouths to feed. It all started back when we lived on the farm and I could see the horses peeking their heads out the barn windows as soon as the sun crept over the horizon. I became a morning person then, reveling in the sweet nickers I was given when I poured their grain and filled their hay; it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The dogs always rose with me too and scampered outside; now I am like the little girl in the Pixar movie “when the sun is up, I am up!”

Life is all about balance, and I strive to live in the moment and let myself enjoy the times when I don’t have the care of all the creatures. But in the end, some of my greatest joys come from caring for our animal family and I believe it to be a huge responsibility. The pay back is knowing that when I open the door I am greeted by a stampede of little feet, wet nose snuggles and loud purring, whether I’ve been gone one week or just one hour.