Last spring, just before my mom joined us to be SuperNana for the summer, she told me she was ready for a new dog. We’ve always been a big dog family, and it had been way too long since my parents had one messing up in their house.
So, like any good daughter, I dragged myself, kicking and screaming to visit a litter of 5 week-old chocolate and black lab puppies. I know, it was a hardship.
I picked out the most perfect little girl. My mom arrived, we got to have a puppy all summer and then they left, heading back to St. Louis…until a few weeks ago – when a much bigger puppy came back for a long visit. Knowing how mothers and daughters love each other so, my mom really wanted to take Annie (the pup) back to see Katie (her mom).
The first 20 minutes was mayhem. There were a few other dogs there and everyone was just running and playing and barking and being all dog like.
And then, it happened. Something clicked for Katie. She grabbed Annie by the back of the neck, rolled her down on the ground and proceeded to sniff every single thread of fur on her body. Annie, who – I swear to God never stops moving – remained motionless on the ground for the duration if this sniffestigation.
I’m with you Katie. When you know you know. It grabs hold of you. It’s the sweet spot on the tennis racket. It’s fresh baked sourdough bread with a inch-high gob of deep-yellow butter on top. It’s meeting someone that feels like home.
It’s how I feel when I’m writing something really good. It’s like the idea grabs my mind and my fingertips and pulls me down a pipeline of bliss. Heart pounding, mind thrumming, I literally can’t get the words out the door fast enough. But still, I manage to sniff every single one of them before I let them go.
Loved this blog, Julie, specifically the sense of emotion portrayed with both the dogs and your words. There are few things more exhilarating than being in ‘the zone’ as you write and knowing the final product will be something worth sharing.
I’m with ya sister. And then sometimes… you just don’t know. Then what?
Ha! I believe that’s when you a) take a deep breath and dive in, b) take a deep breath and walk away or c) call one of your dear friends and analyze the hell out of it.
Do you think that is a skill that mainly women have – our intuition thing? I often wonder. I somehow think that men are not as intuned to their gut or senses as we are.