Petsitting saved my house

My name is Jenny Gordon.  I had just turned 30 and was going through the biggest failure of my life. 

I had excellent grades in school.  A good job.  Listened to my parents.  Bragged my marriage would last forever because I was a child of divorce and had learned what not to do.  And there I was anyway.  DIVORCE.  The life I planned was over.  The expectations my ex and I had for each other just didn't pan out.

And then there was our house.  My beautiful three story townhouse purchased just two years before, at the height of the real estate boom.  Prices had fallen and the market was tanking.  It would cost me money to keep it or to get rid of it.  My ex washed his hands of it.  And yet I wanted to keep it so badly.  It was my happy, comforting place.  But on only one income, I needed another way to make more money.  I need a second job.

I picked up my broken self and set out to get a second income.  Waitressing was easy money, wasn't it?  I had never done it before but I could learn.  I applied at several restaurants and got hired.  There wasn't a specific training program, it was trial by fire.  After the first night working I arrived home to my happy townhouse in tears.  My body ached from many hours on my feet.  I had spilled a tray of food.  And did the customer want Bud Light or Coors Light?  My mind wasn't able to retain such small details.  I called up and quit.  I had failed again.

As I took comfort again in my home, I looked around and it realized how clean it was.  I could clean houses!  I told friends and co-workers and the next thing I knew I had a roster of six housecleaning clients.  I did a good job but it was hard physical work.  After two months all the bending and twisting had taken a toll on my back.  I went to the doctor and chiropractor.  The diagnosis - I would eventually get better but I had to stop cleaning houses.  I had failed once again.

"Jenny, you're a winner.  You're not used to failing.  You will succeed again because you're a winner."

How many more blows would I be dealt?  At that point I had something to prove.  My father, one of my biggest supporters, said "Jenny, you're a winner.  You're not used to failing.  You will succeed again because you're a winner."  Then fate happened.  My best friend from college had a booming side business of petsitting.  She had too many clients and gave two to me.  My two clients turned into four, then six, then ten.  I was the one turning down clients as my business started to boom.  The extra money paid my bills and I got much joy from watching pets.  I couldn't possibly pick a favorite ...

• The terrier that adored taking walks
• The six-toed cat that snuggled for hours on my lap
• The indoor/outdoor cat whose buddy cats in the neighborhood would swing by the house for a nighttime prowl
• The four golden retrievers who greeted me at the door with barks of happiness

The owners were equally delightful.  The older couple who went to India for three weeks and said they wouldn't have gone on the trip of a lifetime if I hadn't watched their dogs.  The small business owner who went to Europe and asked me to open her mail, sign her checks, and make a $10,000 deposit in her account so her tax payment wouldn't bounce.  One lady who lived in the country warned me to watch out for "critters" because raccoons often came in the house through the doggy door.  I learned so much about people and animals and their love for each other.  My business gave me the type of joy my corporate job never could.

Today I still petsit, though not as frequently.  I met the love of my life and moved twenty minutes up the road to live with him.  And my happy townhouse?  I kept it as a rental property which makes income every month.  A recently divorced Mom and her two kids are starting over there.  I hope my house brings them the same happiness it brought me.