Inspiration, Day In The Life

Comfort in the Chaos

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Waxed Canvas Grey - Suki Dog

In this post Eliza Kennedy shares how she finds balance and connection whilst juggeling work, family, a start up business and life in general. Among other things, Eliza Kennedy is mum to two kids and two dogs she is friend to many and the awe inspiring founder of The Paws Room, producing dog crate furniture that supports connection between dogs and their owners.

Eliza - Pawsroom

What time do you wake up and what’s your morning ritual?

Resisting the urge to reach for my phone, at sunrise I take my dog Paolo to the park – off leash time for him and mindful time for me. It’s the only real pocket of quiet and stillness when I can focus on my senses, as well as set my top three priorities for the day. By identifying just three achievable things I really want to get done, I can feel productive instead of lamenting what I didn’t do at the end of the day prior.

What does a typical day look like?

Very much like the inside of my To The Wild bag!! It’s a collection of connections to my children, my partner, friends, colleagues, suppliers, customers – and sometimes myself. So, that could look like negotiating contract terms with a recruitment agency from the car while waiting for a teen to finish guitar lessons and simultaneously replying to a customer about the recommended size crate for their dog… in my togs.

Waxed Canvas Bag Grey - Rex

What’s the most challenging part of the juggle?

Most definitely the most challenging part is rarely feeling completely present and the guilt that creates. I struggle to stay with exactly what I’m doing and who I’m doing it with, because my mind really wants to solve for EVERYTHING immediately. I’m still learning the discipline to get that under control, as I have heard there is no such thing as multi-tasking. When I think I’m multi-tasking, all I’m actually doing is not giving myself to anything as well as I could.

Bedtime is when I try hardest to be completely present with my two favourite people. For some unknown reason, this is the time children want to open up about their worries and their wonders. It’s not always ideal, but it is always precious. I’m well aware that corporate tasks and entrepreneurial activities will be available to me long past the time when my children still want me to lie with them in their beds. Recognising this as a gift is me at my best.

How do you destress?

The affection and acceptance of my dogs is invaluable – I really do want to be the person they think I am! Marion Janner, a mental health campaigner sums it up beautifully: “Dogs love us unconditionally. They’re the ultimate in equal opportunities – entirely indifferent to race, gender, CV, clothes, size or ability to throw cool moves on the dance floor. The simplicity and depth of this love is a continuous joy.”

How do you manage the juggle?

Let me say this. I am not a perfectionist.

I am completely comfortable with near enough, better than before and pretty good. The satisfaction of a full plate with lots to try will trump a Michelin minimalist meal for me any day – that just leaves me hungry even looking at it. I often rely on my perfection deficit to get me through all I want to get done, with a big serve of acceptance.

I accept that some days I will reach for the phone and not get out of bed until it’s too late to take the dogs out. That some days I will get caught up in toxic conversations and take myself way too seriously. That some days I fob off my kids and their cuddles at bedtime so I can reply to an email or create a Paws Room post.

A quick reset on my priorities – my people and my dogs – is all I need to get the balance right.

What do you wish you had more of?

Waves washing over me.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve had?

Say yes.

What’s in your To The Wild bag?

  • Togs, towel and goggles
  • Laptop and phone
  • Notepad and pen
  • Dog waste bags and treats
  • Some kind of snack (or wrapper)
  • Always a ball
Waxed Canvas Bag Green - Minty
Dog Walk Forest
Waxed Canvas Bag Grey - Suki

Products featured on this page:

Teddy The Designer Dog Crate

Large waxed canvas bag in London Grey

Large waxed canvas bag in Highland Green

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