Sprint 7- Scope Creep :/
Our family dog died. I did NOT have that in my sprint. WTF?? OMG, it was so hard. She was 12, and she went downhill fast. When the doc said she couldn't pee on her own anymore, and that we were looking at a neurologist and likely surgery, I said no. We could barely get through the previous few nights with her bedridden and miserable. I could not do more to her — at that point it would have been for me, not her. So we said "see you later," and it was the right thing to do. I hadn't seen her at such peace in a long time (she was peaceful but my husband and I were ugly crying….).
Her name was Joy, and she brought never-ending joy to us for years. She connected me to my neighbors — walking the streets about twice a day, every day, you meet a lot of people and know what's going on. And they knew her. In fact, for a while there I had an Instagram series called "Walking with Joy," where I'd interview folks while walking her. I love that concept. Life got busy and I couldn't keep it up. You'll need to follow me on Instagram if you want to see some of it.
Anyway. Keeping with my MO, I can't let her passing go by without something meaningful coming out of it. It's really more selfish than it sounds — when I do that, I help myself first. What I plan to do is host a spiritual gathering (a devotional) at my home, and invite some friends and neighbors who had to put up with Joy escaping from time to time :/ . This concept isn't new — it happens in thousands of homes across the country, and likely millions across the world, where neighbors and friends come together to talk about deeper things from a spiritual perspective (P.S. we need much more of this in order to get us out of our divisive funk we are in as a country!). The theme, of course, is Joy — what brings us joy even in the face of hardship and tests. Tentatively scheduled for the end of the month, probably around Sprint 11, so you'll hear how it goes.
If you'd like to do something in memory of Joy, or of your own passed dog, maybe walk your neighborhood and talk to people you pass. Ask them, "What do you think we can do to improve our neighborhood?" It may seem creepy — but if someone asked you that earnestly, would you really run for the hills? Try it.
That's it for this week. I will note, that I STILL completed all my sprint items, including publishing my web app! Already got excellent feedback from my exec team, and I'm incorporating it into next sprint. Stay tuned for more — my concept is becoming more clear...