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Y'all don't know how badly I need this vaca. ❤️ The thing with shelter work is it's incredibly intense emotionally, physically, and mentally. The animals of course, but also any members of the public. You're often meeting with people on the worst day of their lives, and everything can feel emergent.

Gryph

@lfgryph.com

Add that to being severely understaffed, then training a new team, along with assorted other stress from work and other areas and I've spent a LOT of time on high alert (while managing other people's stressed feels at the same time) since like. May. That will mess with a person.

Gryph

@lfgryph.com

It's honestly still not like the best time for me to be gone, tbh. But I've had this scheduled since January and both myself, and thankfully my boss as well, realize I need it. I actually probably needed it sooner, but it's hard for me to take time when I'm needed. 🙃

Gryph

@lfgryph.com

It's that line between I recognize the shelter as a whole can and will run without me. My ego isn't that big. But I'm also not self deprecating enough to NOT realize I fill a pretty key role and feel a lot of responsibility around that. Great for job satisfaction, bad for letting go lol.

5/10/26, 2:29 pm1 repost20 likes

Gryph

@lfgryph.com

I still don't actually know how I made it entirely through my summer this year due to it being especially difficult for Reasons. I have a couple really good friends at work who got it, my boss was legitimately amazing, and I'm part Finnish - we don't leave hard things halfway through.