I realize that this blog has always covered luxuries in the form of reviews about cosmetics and food. Some might argue that such a level of self-care is essential, but I'll admit that these days my own perspective has shifted enough to regard them as little luxuries. What's more elusive to me is the concept of personal space, of having a physical area that is purely your own to do with as you please. That is a luxury I do not currently have.
Not the most relatable problem, is it? But what is luxury anyway? (Remember the young woman whose personal luxury is a Charles & Keith bag?) If the definition is something rare and costs a lot to have then, yes, space is my ultimate luxury. I live with family and pets in a single household, and that's quite common here in Asia. Space is rather limited at the moment. And because of the pandemic, the budget is tight and moving out isn't quite a feasible option just yet. Therein lies the problem.
I have a dog who I love to bits, but we are having trouble training her. While she has plenty of chew toys to play with, she always seems to be on the lookout for other small items to chew on. I'm aware that this is the nature of dogs, and that certain adjustments must be made on our part to safeguard personal belongings. Then there is also the practice of trading "captured" personal effects with dog toys. In short, there are supposed to be multiple ways to fix the situation as long as the training is CONSISTENT.
The issue stems from one family member who isn't responsible enough to watch the dog during her playtime. A pattern has emerged in the last couple of months that mostly my things are getting destroyed because the dog keeps wandering into my so-called personal space without any supervision. This only happens when I'm not around, because I'm watchful and will divert her attention to other toys.
The worst part is that this usually happens when I am sent to do an errand at the family member's bidding. You would think that the least they can do is watch the dog while I'm away. I've even taken to placing most personal effects in drawers, locked boxes, acrylic containers, and what have you. But the dog is sometimes left alone so long that she is able to get into the drawers or climb tables or racks to get at what she wants. But I don't even blame the dog. Dogs are supposed to be trainable if the people around them are consistent.
I am at my wit's end here, so this rant is me blowing off some steam. I am still trying to save enough to be able to find another space. But in the meantime, I have to endure being made to feel like the solution to my problem is to just not have personal things at all, rather than creating a safe "no-pets zone" or even for the family member to just care enough to mind the dog when they're supposed to.
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