ah ha.

So, for once I thought I should write a follow up. I noticed I’m not too good at that hehe. Well, for now, there’s no dog. My mother didn't speak to me for a couple days unless she wanted me to do something; this ends up pretty awkward as we can’t totally avoid each other’s spaces since I require quite...intimate help. I was totally confused, why is she the angry one when I’M the one being denied what I am asking for. I could have stayed stubborn and continued the silence game, but I chose a different route, compassion. I bought her a bouquet of sunflowers and apologized. I apologized? Well, I didn't do anything wrong, I’m the victim right? Wrong. It’s neither right nor wrong, actually. Here’s how I figure; her feelings are valid, regardless of rationale. That fact that she feels pressured or like the dog is going to be a whole ton of stress is real. Although she’s just created pictures in her head, she doesn't feel good inside. I accepted that the dog was out of the question and pushing it further would have only lessened the likelihood further. Things have returned to its usual peace and the topic of the dog was brought up my mom herself and she saw my point of view. We’ve come to the agreement that the dog will come when we move to a house, which we are in the process of searching for. Sure I didn't get exactly what I wanted but I minimized the time of misery by simply thinking about her feelings and ended with a reasonable compromise.

So we don't always get our way but another person’s feelings are just as real as your own, even if they are different. What a concept, huh? ;) I could have continued our battle but how can I expect her to understand me when I’m not trying to do the same for her? I tried to be understanding and I got understanding back. Mission accomplished.

LOVE.JULIA.