Nightmares and Daydreams

Have you ever had one of those days that feels like you’re trudging through a nightmare?

I had one of those last week.

I was working. Where else would you be in a nightmare?

I think most of you now know I pick up dog poo for a living. I’m sure there’s a good reason for it…

I was making good time.

Open the gate.

Pick up the poo.

Back in the car.

Bam! Off to the next house.

Then I arrived at one of two new houses for the day.

New houses can go one of two ways. Either their yard is really clean because the owner has been keeping on top of things, or they’re a huge job because they haven’t cleaned up after their dog… in months.

I bet you can guess which one this house was.

No judgment; they had a new baby.

I looked at my notes and smiled to myself when I saw they only had a small area.

This should be easy, I thought.

I got out to their courtyard and discovered every inch of their fake grass was covered in dog poo.

The best thing to do in this situation is to put your head down and get to work. Never look up to see how much is left to go.

I started scooping.

After a while, sweat was rolling down my aching back.

My shoulder was hurting from the weight in my scooper.

Then I put my foot down, and it slid along the ground.

I looked down and realised I was standing in poo.

I had to. Before I started cleaning, there wasn’t anywhere to stand that wasn’t covered in poo.

I checked the soles of my shoes and they were completely covered.

Then the owner came out and asked me to move my car from the driveway.

If this were any other house, I would have entered via a backyard gate and it wouldn’t be a huge deal.

For this house, I had to enter through the front door.

So I did the only thing I could do.

I took my shoes off and walked back out to my car in my socks.

I moved my car and went back inside.

Running really behind now, I finished cleaning up and found a stick to try to scrape as much from my shoes as possible.

Feeling relieved, I finally left and drove to the next house.

I arrived, only to find I’d left my poop scooper behind.

Luckily, I had a spare.

I finished that house then went back for it, only to discover the owners had gone out.

More time wasted.

My day continued.

I arrived at the second new house.

I entered via the gate, saw a nice, clean paved area and breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, I came to a green shipping pallet separating the rest of the yard.

And I knew it was coming.

I peered around the corner and saw the biggest backyard, paths going off in all directions, overgrown bushes… and you guessed it. It was everywhere.

I left carrying so many bags of poo that I didn’t realise I’d left both my scooper and my bucket behind this time.

I figured it out when I arrived at the next house and had to go back and get it.

My day did eventually end.

Have you ever had one of those days that felt like you were floating through a daydream?

I also had one of those last week.

It was a pleasantly warm winter’s day.

We were going out for lunch with another couple. This time, we didn't have a babysitter, so I chose a pub that had a playground.

We arrived and got a seat right at the playground, and our son was off.

We chatted with our friends while he played.

Normally, he’d ask us to play with him, but that day, he was happy playing with the other children.

We ordered our food, and I discovered I had a $20 voucher in the food ordering app.

Our meals arrived, and he was so busy that he didn’t even want to steal all of my chips.

We had two hours of adult conversation, good food and sunshine. Such a rare treat.

Since we were so close to the beach, we decided to stop off on our way home.

Everyone else had the same idea; the car park was super busy.

But we just happened to drive past someone leaving, and we slid straight into a spot.

We got down to the beach, and my son was so excited. We didn’t have swimmers, but we happily splashed around in our clothes. I held his hand in mine and guided him towards the water, and he would run away in nervous excitement when the waves washed onto the shore.

We all went home with big smiles on our faces.

Life is funny.

One day you’re sliding through excrement, and the next you’re making a beautiful memory with your favourite person.

All I know is, the next time I’m sliding around in dog poo, I’ll be thinking about the warm sun on my face, the sand beneath my feet, and a tiny hand in mine.