Volunteering at the animal shelter coincided with my husband leaving me and asking for a divorce. It strikes me how similar those two situations are.
I can empathize with the dogs. I know what it feels like to be abandoned. I know what it feels like to wonder what you did wrong to warrant being thrown away, discarded. I know what it feels like wondering how you got here? Every day you wake up in a new and scary place, where you don’t know the rules, where you don’t want to be and wonder whether you can ever trust anybody again.
You wonder if you are still loveable, or if you are unworthy of love. You struggle with not losing hope in yourself and mankind. You wonder if you’re broken beyond repair. You wonder if people can see how much you’re hurting. You wonder if you will ever be happy again or feel joy.
I tell the dogs it’s not their fault that they’re there. That they are lovable. That somebody better will come along.
The dogs are a great example for me. They live in the moment, they slowly learn to trust again, and they are open to loving someone new. And I hope that someone new is patient with them and understands the depth of the hurt and loss of trust that they need to overcome. The reward will be worth it, for everyone.