Manic Monday: Wag More

On this Monday, last one in January, 2012, I feel bogged down with more work than I think I can do. I'm editing two different novels right now, the day job, marketing and social media - oh, and raising my daughter and taking care of a household. You know - the usual.

The bright desert sun outside beckons me to play but a Midwestern work ethic nudges me to stay in, chained to the office chair. As I look at the pile of receipts and paperwork on my desk reminding me that tax season is upon me, I begin to feel overwhelmed.

Can you relate?

And yet I know this to be true:

It's the journey, not the destination. And the journey includes paperwork and jobs and to-do lists and bills to pay and kids and pets and family that need our attention even when we're a little too tired to give it.

The good, the bad. The beautiful and the ugly. The profound and the mundane. The pizza and the beer.

Okay, pizza and beer aren't opposites, but they sure do sound good right now.

Anyway, you get the picture. We all know this. But for me at least, it can't be repeated enough because it is so easy to allow the disturbances of our day detour us away from the joy of our time here. No matter how long you live, the journey here is brief. And oh, so wonderful - even when you wish you could drive a tank through rush-hour traffic.

Enjoy the journey.

So what, you are asking, is up with the video of your dog up there?

That's my dog Molly. She's going to be 14 this year. I got her from my local Humane Society shelter when she was a pup. Molly is pure joy covered in fur.

This video is me trying to capture one of those things in my life that reminds me daily how good it is to be alive.

Molly will wag just because I look at her. I look away and she stops wagging. I turn back to face her and she wags again.

All I have to do is look at her to make her happy. No dog treats were eaten in the filming of this video! I have no food out for her; no promise of yummies.

Just seeing my face makes her happy.

Isn't that an amazing gift for me.

I have someone in my life for whom the mere sight of me makes her happy.

Maybe we should all be more like Molly with each other. Maybe if we smiled at the mere sight of our loved ones, they would be happier. And we'd be happier because we were smiling. And they'd be happier because we were smiling at them. Wags all around.

I'm smiling at you right now : D

Do you have a special critter in your life that makes your day brighter, your face happier? Or a special person that always manages to bring out the best in you? 

I love comments and to hear your stories. And to spread the joy your comments bring, everyone who leaves a comment on a post from now through February 29 will be entered for a chance to win a signed copy of my novel, Emily's House. And for every 100 comments in that time, I'll offer another book. So spread the word, leave your comments and make me give away my books for free!!