Daily Excerpts: Excerpt from 100 Tips and Tools for Managing Chronic Illness (Charnas): #11. A Slice of Canine Heaven

 


Today's daily excerpt comes from 100 Tips and Tools for Managing Chronic Illness by Joanna Charnas. 

11.  A SLICE OF CANINE HEAVEN           

When Emme died, I struggled to find the right words of condolence for her owner, my colleague Matt. I finally told him that rarely are my expectations of great things completely fulfilled, but my day with Emme exceeded my hopes and was a joy. Emme was a 170-pound Great Dane who spent one hot summer day, per Matt, “babysitting” me when I was homebound with a sinus infection. I’d been sick in June with a similar illness, and when I returned to work, Matt offered to bring Emme to my home the next time I felt ill. He knew I loved Great Danes but couldn’t own one because of my chronic illness. So, during my second week-long bout that summer with sinus issues, I gave Matt a call. At six-thirty the next day, he arrived with Emme and the largest dog bed I’d ever seen. 

After an hour of anxiously checking my front door, Emme settled in. She was the most obedient animal I’d ever encountered. She jumped on the couch to cuddle on command. She placed her head on my stomach when I patted it and did everything I asked of her immediately. She let me hold her paw and stroke her giant head. Emme also drooled constantly. I’d covered the couch with a sheet and told myself it was going to be a wet day. She and I hung out in my living room, napping and watching TV until Matt picked her up late in the afternoon. An angel of mercy in dog fur, gentle and sweet Emme gave me much needed distraction and comfort.

The limitations of chronic illness mean we don’t always get what we want. I want a dog and can’t have one. I have cats instead, which I adore. I struggle to remember that life is rarely all or nothing. I don’t have the stamina to take care of a dog regularly, but I enjoyed one lovely day with a Great Dane, and that’s a memory I’ll cherish forever. That day reminds me I can get what I want in unexpected ways. It reminds me to be open to those opportunities and savor them.



For more posts about Joanna and her books, click HERE.


                                Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

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