Excerpt from How My Cat Made Me a Better Man (Feig): Fear



Fear 

You Can’t Always Hide behind the Toilet 

Cat Tale: Shelly lived in a lot of different places: upstate New York, Manhattan, Los Angeles, and even a brief stint in New Mexico. Every time she moved someplace new, she’d be utterly terrified. I signed a lease for a great new apartment in Santa Monica, California. The place seemed ideal for a cat. It had a long layout she could race through, a few steps for jumping fun, and ample sunbeam access. I knew Shelly would love it. 

As soon as I got the keys to the empty apartment, I took her over to check it out. I figured she’d enjoy exploring her new digs, especially since there was no pesky furniture to get in the way, but from the moment I turned her loose, she was scared to death, darting out of sight almost immediately. 

Of course, it’s easy to find a cat in an apartment with no furniture. She was hiding in the bathroom, wedged behind the toilet. I tried to coax her out with some treats, but she wouldn’t budge. I stepped away and gave her a little time to see if she’d come out on her own, but she never did. She was in a strange, new environment where she wasn’t comfortable. She only felt safe behind her ceramic fortress.

Eventually, I convinced Shelly to come out from behind the toilet. By “convinced,” I mean that I physically pulled her out—gently, of course, because she was already completely frazzled. 

After that traumatic afternoon, I didn’t take Shelly back until after I’d fully moved in. As soon as we were inside, she rushed right back behind the toilet. This time, I let her stay there until she was ready to come out. She emerged an hour later but remained near the safe perimeter of the bathroom. A little while later, she came out into the den, then the living room, gradually expanding her comfort zone. Pretty soon, she had fully adjusted to the new apartment, frolicking on the steps, jumping in the shower, and joyfully scratching the screen door. It took some time and a lot of reassurance, but Shelly was finally comfortable in her new home. 

Cat Lesson: We all have fears. Whether they’re physical or psychological, they’re real. You can try to overcome them or refuse to acknowledge they exist, but you can’t let them rule your life.


Read the rest of this chapter in How My Cat Made Me a Better Man.

Read more posts about fear HERE.



Read more posts about Jeremy and his award-winning book HERE.






Book of the Year Award Finalist

Legacy Award, Humor, Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In Memoriam: Carl Don Leaver

Image
  1948-2021 It is with great sadness that MSI Press notes the death of Carl Leaver, CEO of the Press and typesetter and graphic designer par excellence . Many authors have expressed not only condolences but also a sense of legacy from covers he designed that they love.  Here is his obituary: On August 16, 2021, Carl Don Leaver of San Juan Bautista passed into eternal rest. A forester with the US Forest Service in Idaho and Montana, he turned to nature photography while working in the Bitterroot National Forest. His photographs graced national magazine covers and on a weekly basis the local paper of Hamilton, MT, the Ravalli Republican. He later worked on photography projects for the US Army (AFEES) and taught photography at the New York Institute of Technology in Amman, Jordan. His final career change led him to computer graphics and publishing as co-owner of MSI Press LLC; his many typeset books and book covers have helped MSI Press authors win a large number of awards over t...
Read more

A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Book Marketing vs Book Promotion

Image
It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.  Today's post looks at the difference between book marketing and book promotion, two terms that are frequently confused. Leading to the confusion is that some of the same activities are needed for both. In fact, good marketing is dependent upon good promotion. Perhaps the essential difference is that marketing focuses on sales, and promotion focuses on awareness --  noting that without awareness, sales generally do not happen. Book Marketing Book marketing includes promotion, sales, and increasing awareness of the availability of the book. It generally starts with a marketing plan that identifies the target audiences and selects marketing ...
Read more