This Week's Thank You: The Middleman

This is my dog, Shiloh. She would very much like to smell you.

There comes a time in every child's life when they realize if they have money, they can buy the things they want. Then comes the persistent pursuit of money. The joy of the stray penny on the ground. The countdown to holidays. Perhaps even graduating to extra chores for an additional dollar or two. With age comes responsibility and the desire for clothes not from Target. And while the willingness for the extra jobs to pay for Gap jeans and Jordans might be strong, the organizational skills and work ethic may still need a little molding.

I travel regularly for work. This is something I enjoy. It is not something my dog enjoys. My cat, however, seems to be indifferent. There is a young lady, about 12, who I hire to check in with my animals to make sure they get food and attention and cause minimal destruction to my house while I'm away. She lives down the street and her parents are family friends. While the daughter is the one who plays with Shiloh while I'm gone (and gets stared down by my cat), I have a feeling it's her mom who makes sure everything gets done.

Her mom is the one who checks schedules, finds misplaced house keys and gently reminds the daughter when it's time for another walk down the street. And while I thank the daughter each trip with cash left on the counter, I felt that it was important that her mother knows that I appreciate all the work she does behind the scenes to make sure my animals are taken care of while I'm traveling.

I take a bit of pride in providing an opportunity for this young girl to learn about the relationship between work and money. I hope that it augments the culture of responsibility I know her parents are already creating.

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