What my Shih tzu's poop and pee taught me

Back in my days as a student nurse, there was a time I changed the diapers of a senior citizen. It was messy. The old man had a gastrointestinal problem. That would explain why his stool was black and tar-like in quality. As a student nurse, I had to clean my patients body fluids and discharges.

Patient vomitted?           Clean the vomitus. 

Patient defecated?         Change the diaper. 

Patient's bed is dirty?    Change the bed linen. 

I was cleaning other people's mess when I was a student nurse.

Funny thing is, I'm the exact opposite at home. I don't clean. We had a helper who did it for us.

Laundry?              Helper. 

Dirty dishes?        Helper. 

Dirty dog?            Helper. 

Dirty floor?          Helper. 

Hungry for food? Helper. 

Yes, I was dependent on our house helper. (But don't think I was dependent on everything. I know how to wash the dishes. I know how to keep the floor clean. I know how to fold clothes. I know how to laundry. I know some basic housekeeping skills, but the problem is, I don't do them because I fall into this default mode of giving the chores to the helper when they're around.)

Then five year old Paphu came.

One day, I was left alone with Paphu inside the house. Thinking that he was lonely and that he might poop if I left him unsupervised, I brought him inside my room. I prepared a newspaper-covered tray for his toilet. I placed his bed beside mine. A few hours later, this endearing dog peed and pooped in my room. 

I was alone. The room stank. My only logical choice was to clean. 

And clean, I did. 

It was unpleasant. It was enlightening. Of course, as I was cleaning, I had another epiphany. 

You want to get ahead in life? Good. Then you must be willing to put shit in your hands. You must be willing to do the dirty stuff. You must be willing to get dirty. 

The dirt I'm referring too, of course, is doing what's uncomfortable. The one's that outside your comfort zone. 

Cleaning dog pee and dog shit is very uncomfortable for me. But I chose to do it. I was alone. My house would reek dog poo and pee. I had to swallow my pride. I had to swallow my uncomfty feelings. 

This is what I learned. Be willing to get your hands dirty. Get dirty. This is an important lesson in life.