Jumping Off Point

January 2020, I leapt off a cliff. Getting a job, keeping a job, and working hard at a job has been drilled into me as the goal of adult life. A responsible adult does not quit a job until another has been lined up. I jumped off a cliff in 2009 when I started my own pet sitting business while working full time. In 2012, I jumped again as I left a well-paying position to work full time as a local pet sitter all while trying to support and raise 3 children as a single mother.

From 2012 to 2019, I tried a variety of ways to grow the business. Early on I discovered that just earning my wages from pet sitting alone was energy draining to a point I could barely function without

propping myself up with an exponentially growing number of caffeine drinks. When I started pet sitting, I did not drink caffeine as it made me edgy.

So, I initially hired on a team member to help with the overnight visits as I rarely slept well onsite and went through days as a zombie. Next, I attempted to broaden my offerings to include pet taxi, dog trainer, and cat behaviorist. None of these took off. Mainly, as I was so busy trying to keep the business afloat enough in order to make the monthly bills, I could not focus on marketing.

One November night in 2014 around 10:00 pm, I had two dogs I was caring for jump a fence and wander off into the night. Frantically, in the dark I walked back alleys yelling their names in an ever-widening circle, imagining the worst. Luckily, the dogs meandered home around midnight, and I cried with relief. This was it for me! The level of responsibility wore on me. The worries: losing a family’s house keys, missing a scheduled appointment for a crated puppy because of miscommunication or my own error, having a family’s dog run off or worse. I would often awake in the middle of the night in a panic.

I began looking for work. From 2014-2019 I alternated between searching for other employment and trying to make a go in the pet sitting business world. I met with SCORE mentors and created an action plan. I took webinars and attended online conferences. I hired more team members that helped with the dog walks and later night visits. With more team members, the worries increased, but the money did not.

I began having health issues. The first was knee pain and I wore a brace on the walks. Then hip problems from driving a manual shift. I had trade in the manual for an automatic. Next were back problems directly caused by walking dogs on leash. I quickly became a fixture in my chiropractor’s office. And I continued walking.

If I could make enough to make ends meet, it would be worth it, but each month was a struggle. Taking a vacation was difficult. Holidays and weekends, when the rest of my family were off, I was working, often very long days from early in the morning until 10 pm or so at night. I would come home exhausted and unable to be the mom I wished I could be. When I did take a vacation, the phone was never out of my reach and I had to return calls and manage questions and problems. There was never a day off.

After ten years, I reevaluated. I absolutely loved my furry extended family. I was quite attached with many, if not each one. My health was deteriorating. I now had heart issues and allergies that caused shortness of breath and increased exhaustion. Over the years, I had dog walked in all kinds of weather and conditions, including frigid temps on icy sidewalks. I walked in the heat in the summers and suffered heat stroke a couple of times. I dog walked when I was sick with a fever and even when I had the stomach flu. I would stop and be sick and just keep going. This was ridiculous, but I felt I made the commitment, and I was going to honor it, plus I always needed the money, and I completely believed my body would make it through if I just pushed it hard enough.

Photo by Daniel Brubaker on Unsplash

In December of 2019, I even more vigorously looked for a job. I interviewed with a company and was offered a position. I accepted and then offered the pet sitting business to one of my contractors to take-over. After a week of mulling it over, she chose not to and to look for other work. I had no choice but to close the business. I notified all my existing clients that I was retiring and gave them a list of recommended area sitters. It was very sad, but exciting at the same time as I got ready for a new job!

I spent 2 weeks at the new position. Before I headed off to work my first day, I spent 2 hours at the bank undoing a bank account hack, closing accounts and canceling cards. It was not a good sign. I enjoyed what I did for the company and the people were friendly, but daily I heard horror stories about the summer. I heard it was so crazy you couldn’t eat during your 8-hour shift and often couldn’t take a break to make it to a restroom! I was told not to take being screamed at personally. It just came with the job. The schedule changed twice in the 2 weeks, and I noticed our manager didn’t even tell one woman of the change. I was told that was normal. January was the slowest month and I was lucky to be training during that time, but the atmosphere was still intense. Twice, I witnessed understaffing instances that kept angry clients waiting for service, and I was told this was pretty much a given.

The start of my second week, my 89-year old aunt, who I am responsible for somehow, had a stroke and was hospitalized. She could not return to her apartment, so I spent extra time visiting with her and giving notice at her apartment and clearing it out. I rented a storage and moved with help what belongings I thought she may like to have in the future.

Between closing a business that I had founded and built and enjoyed what I did to starting and learning a new position; from dealing with the fall-outs from a bank account hack and my aunt’s stroke, it all became too much for me.

I questioned if I should continue with this new position? Even if I were completely trained, it did not seem like it was an environment that I, with my current health issues, wanted to continue to work in. However, I had told all my clients I was retiring and had given up the business that I had built for over ten years. I had nothing to fall back on. Raising 3 kids on my own over the years had taken every penny I earned; I had no savings.

I quit anyway, clinging to my God and saying over and over again until it became my mantra, “Jesus, I trust in You.” I started a blog and came up with ideas for children’s books. I had written a book, had it professionally edited, but had gone no further. It was time. I still looked for work as a lifeline, but also tried to think outside the box of again working for another. I was going on 59 years old and my age did not help my employability.

Jesus, I trust in You. I am still falling. “Write,” he whispered, so I write.

Photo of woman falling by Noah Buscher on Unsplash