Blog Archives
A quote about love
“Part of the beauty of love was that you didn’t need to explain it to anyone else. You could refuse to explain. With love, apparently you didn’t necessarily feel the need to explain anything at all.”
–The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
14 Books to Give As Valentine’s Day Gifts
Its a little late but still a fun article from Bustle.
14 Books to Give As Valentine’s Day Gifts This Year
A book that might just change your life… a big little life by Dean Koontz
A big little life is a story of a dog that loved, inspired, entranced and spread joy to everyone close to her. Just as Trixie, the soulful golden retriever, changed the lives of those that loved her, this book has the power to change the lives of its readers. A big little life is so much more than a story about a dog. It’s a story about life, love, and loss.
This memoir highlights not only the wonders of loving a dog, but the wonders and magic of life itself. It opens the reader’s mind to the beautiful complexities of life and how a dog can help us enjoy the simple pleasures that are always around us. Unconditionally loving a dog and receiving that unconditional love in return can soften the heart and open the mind.
When death takes someone whom you love to the very core, whether family, a friend, or a dog, the pain reflects the joy that came before it. The more you loved that soul during their life, the more painful it will be to say goodbye but never will the pain outweigh the previous bliss. Koontz’s enforces this in the book’s dedication, “…the pain was so great because the joy before it was even greater.”
Koontz’s personality shines through in this novel. Not many books make me laugh out loud (and I am quick to laugh) but this book provided me that pleasure. I fell in love with Trixie. She made me laugh, she made me cry and though I never knew her, I love her because I cherish what she left behind; a better world.
Some will say, “She was only a dog.”
Yes, she was dog, but not only a dog. I am a man, but not only a man. Sentiment is not sentimentality, common sense is not common ignorance, and intuition is not superstition. Living with a recognition of the spiritual dimension of the world not only ensures a happier life but also a more honest intellectual life than if we allow no room for wonder and refuse to acknowledge the mystery of existence.
**All photos taken from DeanKoontz.com/Trixie
Writing Prompt: Heartbreak
Don’t you dare write about a teenage girl who’s boyfriend cheated on her because he didn’t know how to tell her it was over. But if you do, it better be so far from the stereotype that it makes me laugh out loud, cry or scream. Stereotypes make me want to hurl.
Write an internal dialogue of someone who has just been taken away from something they love. I encourage that something to not be a person. It could be a family heirloom, a suitcase full of money, an injured athlete who can’t play in the big game. Be creative!
As always, ping back if you complete the post. I’d love to read it!