My hubby and co-author, David, and I can't work in the same
office (he's a neat freak, and I'm very messy. We're like the odd couple. We'd
drive each other nuts. By and large, every single time he walks into my
office, he trips over my shoes. Granted I have a lot of shoes, but you get the
idea.
However, I hate being all alone in my office, and that's where
my working buds come in. Gabriel, my 100 pound standard poodle, is always here,
next to me on the daybed where I do most of my work. (Yes, I do have a desk, but
you know how that goes....) Ella, my smallest standard at 45 lbs prefers her
memory foam pad on the floor. They keep me company throughout my work
day, looking forward to the times I yell, "Let's play!" Then we go outside and
run around. When we come back, I'm more ready to get back to work.
Gabriel, like Bear, the dog in my Christmas
Heartwaming book tentatively titled HANDMADE CHRISTMAS, is a rescue. Gabriel
had gone through two separate rescue orgs but was having a hard time finding
someone who understood him. I saw his photo and fell instantly in love. (I do
that - with David too. I'd only known him two weeks when I married him 43 years
ago.) I trust my instincts, so although Gabriel was in North Carolina, I
arranged for him to fly to New Mexico.
I'd been told that Gabriel was shy around people, but
that didn't worry me at all. A fearful dog is the result of bad life
experiences, and I knew I could change that for him. I didn't expect miracles,
but I also knew that I could get through to him. You see, I firmly believe that
nothing is more powerful than love and determination. Gabriel had to be
retrained and taught to trust, and I knew I could do both. The way I saw it,
he'd had tough times - just like me. That gave us common ground and would
set the beginning of our relationship.
These days, he's my best bud. I can't imagine working
without him being there right next to me. Our friendship developed slowly, step
by step, but Gabe's my companion, my friend, my play date, you name it. He's a
dog of dogs.
When scenes aren't going right, when I feel like
kicking the wall out of sheer frustration, he'll drop a toy in front of me, and
remind me that play time is just as important as work time. It puts things back
into perspective.
What helps you get grounded so you can
work?
Aimee, He's a beautiful dog, and it's lucky he found you. Looking forward to your book since I love stories that include kids and dogs.
ReplyDeleteWe love dogs - they're our `kids', and this guy is so well trained. He'll do anything for me.
DeleteHe's an awesome dog. I can't imagine life without animals. I'm taking right now with a cat head on my left hand. I'm sure I'm burning calories thanks to Tyre's insistence of being near to me.
ReplyDeleteAlas, I'm allergic to cats and birds, but we've always had dogs. Right now, Gabriel is asleep at my side. Later, David gets to take him and the other two for a run. Their calories get burned, not mine!
DeleteNice post and picture Aimee! It's my son who keeps me grounded. Growing up, I learned that life had no boundaries from my mom who was a terrific example. I've always known that someday I would be a published writer-that all it took was hard work to achieve a dream. And now, I want my son to have the same confidence in whatever his dreams are, by providing an example. So, whenever I feel like burning my current WIP, I just look at him and it reminds me why I work so hard everyday:)lol.
ReplyDeletexo
Jen
It's great having that motivation - a great role model and that knowledge that nobody can beat you but yourself. Rule number one - never give up! I learned it too. Having someone like your son can give you unbelievable strength of purpose. Inspirational!
DeleteIf my husband and I worked together, we'd have to have the same setup. :-) I loved your post.
ReplyDeleteThe dogs are the glue that keeps us connected even though we have our own offices on opposite sides of the house. Gabriel is always with me, and usually Ella as well. Marlowe, our oldest, sticks with David most of the time. We're never alone, and sometimes writing can be a very lonely profession.
DeleteAimee! My office 'staff' keep me grounded as well. They are a rescued Husky, Australian Shepherd, Lab mix named Cheyenne, and Stormy, a rascally Tabby. Cheyenne was taken in a drug raid in the country, along with fourteen other dogs, nine of them her puppies! She ran away three times in the first two days. Last time we got her back, I gave her leftover meatloaf and she's been at my side ever since. Stormy came to us in a - you guessed it - storm. Left for a day and came back with his sister, Melanie. She prefers lounging to work, so never comes upstairs to my office. Cheyenne sleeps on the futon and Stormy in my lap. I write the same way Pam does - trying to move the fingers so the cat head on my hand won't be disturbed. I could not work without them!
ReplyDeleteDogs are wonderful companions, and they really relate to their humans. No two are alike. At one time, we also had pet rats (David taught life science) and they had their own desk huts, where they'd sleep during my work. The dogs never bothered them at all. But it was hard losing them after two or three years with their short life span, so now it's just the dogs. Sounds like there are a lot of kindred spirits here...
DeleteI just fell in love with Gabriel too!!! I love animals and your post touched my heart, Aimee. I can't wait to chat dogs with you (and your writing of course :) on your twitter chat tomorrow! I have two dogs- both cavalier kings and one is a rescue- Little Bit. She is deaf but works hard to compensate by being alert to the littlest floor vibration. I need only tap my foot and she's on her feet, head turning in every direction, eager to please and make sure she's doing whatever we're asking her to do (which, when it comes to dogs, is play, eat, go outside, pet, groom, walk... you know... the hard life- lol) I love my other dog, Lizzie, too. She's a diabetic and needs shots twice a day. The vet told she'd go blind in a year, but she's kept her sight for two now. I modeled the therapy dog in my novel WISH ME TOMORROW after Lizzie because she's so darn cute and no medical condition could ever be too much when I think about how much love they both give me! Thanks for your lovely post.
ReplyDeleteKaren, it was great `meeting' you on today's twitter chat. One of our dogs, Marlowe, is pretty much deaf, but he's our oldest at 13, and responds well to hand signals. We rescued an old toy poodle years ago, and he was almost blind. Before he lost his sight, he learned where the doggie door was, fortunately. In later years, when he lost his sight completely, he'd go outside, get disoriented, and spend several minutes looking for the way back inside. When he came back in, he was so excited he'd rocket around the room like a pinball. That became his knickname, of course. We're had dogs with special needs, and it sounds like you have a big heart. I think you can learn a lot about someone's character by the way they treat their animals. So good to hear from you.
DeleteAww I love these pet stories. There's something about our animals that tug at our hearts, right?
ReplyDeleteWe have a shih Tzu and a cat who we rescued at the same time three years ago. They were so tiny then, but the cat especially has grown up and out. Her name is Diva (which she totally is) but we call her Big Mama sometimes because of her size. Ceasar, the shih Tzu, came named from a woman who couldn't take care of a puppy after she was diagnosed with cancer. We were ready to open our home and our hearts to these two, though they'd probably tell you that they chose us LOL.