Sunday, November 18, 2007

The Small-Dog Solution

Having a book in progress is like having a cat purring in your lap-- that thought came to me while writing the previous post, and it stayed in my mind.

Then this weekend, I discovered that sitting with an actual miniature dachsund named Moonshine in my lap was even better than having a metaphor in mind.

Several people have recently suggested time with an animal as an antidote for a sinking spell. I hadn't actually planned to try that one, since I do it every day already. My husband has a sheepdog (a Bouvier) and a mastiff-like dog who outweighs me (a Kangal) and I spend a fair amount of time reading and patting.

I now also see the delight in lapdogs (the sensible non-nervous type). Moonshine sat in my lap for hours at a friend's beach house this weekend. The experience was amazingly soothing. After a while I asked her "human companion" novelist/memoirist Lucy Daniels if she ever wrote with Moonshine in her lap. She does it a lot, I learned.

I can see writing while holding a little dog as a great way to avoid getting myself tied up in a knot, or swearing at the computer, or a number of other characteristic pitfalls. For some reason, sitting with that little warm dozing creature was entrancing. A deep trance is good for novels and pretty much everything else.

Thank you, Moonshine!






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4 comments:

Debra said...

I agree, Peggy. Having an animal resting calmly in your lap can be a very soothing experience. Sometimes, I find myself breathing in sync with one of my cats, when it is curled up sleeping in my lap, and I would definitely say that it helps to put me into a "zone" of sorts.

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I just added you to my list of "favorites", because you are absolutely one of my favorite places to visit!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for fave-ing this blog, Debra. I really appreciate your participation here. You come up with such good stuff.

Debra said...

Peggy, you are very welcome! I feel comfortable sharing my ideas with you because you are such an encouraging individual! You have such a big heart, and an open spirit, and I am very thankful to have met you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Anonymous said...

Thank you, and Happy Thankgsiving to you, Debra.