Bright Spots

In the middle of a miserable morning that falls in the middle of a miserable week - cold, rainy, bleak, and still too many days until vacation - it is heartening beyond belief to get to work and realize that apparently today has been declared Cute Puppy And Kitten Day.

The sun hasn't appeared for at least 3 days. It is clammy and grey and I don't think my sneakers have been fully dry for two weeks. I haven't gotten a full night's sleep for long enough that I'm beginning to just accept that five hours of interrupted nightmares is my new normal. We have been out of milk for my tea for 3 days now because we haven't had the chance to buy any fresh. My precious car won't start, in spite of repeated attempts to jumpstart it. Dancing With The Stars was pre-empted for stupid football last night. The world is full of petty woes.

But in the past two hours the office has been host to dachshund puppies, golden retriever puppies, boxer puppies, and one amazingly tiny kitten. And no matter how rough and tiring and cold and frustrating things are, it's hard to be completely miserable when an adorable baby animal is curled up sleeping in your arms.

Sometimes my job is the source of most of my problems in life. Sometimes, it's the cure for them.