Red Sauce and Muddy Paws

From autumn to winter, there's no shortage of comfort in the arms of paws and really good food. Temperatures are cooler and rainier this time of year -- at least in our Central California coastal environs -- however, across the country, the weather is insanely at the mercy of El Nino. What with subzero climates, snow, icy conditions, and lots of folks having to navigate the atmospheric weirdness, why not spend quality time with dogs and the aromas of food that titillate the senses?

I was inspired yesterday by a fellow dog mom who was experiencing challenges with her ex-husband and how they co-parent their 13-year-old son. Both of her dogs are super cool, especially the younger Australian Shepherd who adores my 7-month-old Wizard pup. Her other dog is around 14 years old and still going strong, happy to say. What struck me during the walk though was a lightbulb moment for me. How she spoke to her son on the phone whilst walking her pups near the water seemed effortless, very empathetic, and oh so confident. Teens can be interesting these days, as the culture of society continually shifts and they have to shift with it.

Yet, Wizard and I were accompanying her and playtime was ON for her younger dog and mine.

As her son was lamenting on the other line how his dad forgot about the holiday and to not pick him up from school, she was so frustrated that her ex never listens and is a deadbeat dad. Her son (I've met him) is a wonderful teenager and loves football, as do I. Greg even tossed the ball to him one time when we were walking Wizard and the kid was enamored that an older man would want to spend more than 10 minutes throwing the football back and forth with him. But yesterday, the boy's conversation with his mom went from such beautiful words towards her son and letting him know not to take on his father's crap and lack of parenting to the mom saying they would watch football together and she would make his favorite red sauce with rigatoni. I smiled at her warmth and giving nature and how she let her son know he was in the right and not to make it about him, but to let it go and he'll get to spend a fun weekend with his mom.

Meanwhile, the pups were running every which way through the sludgy mud of the bay and having the time of their lives! Not a care in the world. I focused on them and everything seemed alright, despite the mom having the tough phone call with her kid about how his dad doesn't truly show up for him in his young life. There was a metaphor within the entire 30 minutes of walking the dogs, her talking to her son on the phone, and how the clouds were rolling in to prepare for a weekend of rain. It took me a while to figure it out, but I believe it was about a flowing surrender and cozy feelings.

Which brings me to a new phase in my world. After Wizard came home with us in early September and we road-tripped to Northern Arizona to welcome him into my and Greg's couplehood, our lives have never been the same. We kind of laugh at "Here we are, in our mid-60s and raising a very young puppy who has the basic needs of a small human baby." Greg's a father to an adult son so he gets it. But me? I have had to trust my instincts and elicit compassion, guts, upheavals, and all the rest of what goes along with puppyhood. Raising Wizard has been my full-time job for the past three months and I wouldn't have it any other way.

This leads me to freelancing and how for writers the industry has changed dramatically. Ever since the introduction of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ChatGPT into every dialogue with clients, the air has been let out of the creative balloon for me. I don't have a passion for robotic prose these days, nor am I interested in diving into that crazy technology; instead, I'd rather stick to the emotional aspect of crafting words that come from my heart. And because I've been so accustomed to waking up and writing at the crack of dawn for years on end, I'm now devoting my earliest hours to being present for Wizard. He deserves it and I felt the need to alter the course of my life.

I wouldn't necessarily say I'm retiring from the field of writing, far from it. I'm more or less cherry-picking my projects and being ever-so-grateful for the cool ones that cross my path. I no longer write for the money. I write for my livelihood, for my soul, for how every cell of my body feels when I sit and compose words for the public to read and hear. Once my three-year contractual stint with the Autio travel entertainment app was completed, I was flailing around for a bit, not knowing what I wanted to do and how I saw my work being accepted. Almost like homemade red sauce that emanates from the kitchen and smells amazingly great when bubbling in the pot on the stove. Will everyone like and appreciate what went into the creation?

It takes years to perfect your craft. Sometimes I get it right and sometimes it's messy. It takes trial and error, challenges and obstacles, expectations and letdowns, and oodles of rejections to understand that perhaps the best years of your work have already been done and gone. But writing is my elixir of life. Besides my loving relationship with Greg, the many friendships in my community, and the doings with Wizard in his daily movement, I'm feeling mighty blessed to have authored and published numerous books, contributed to hundreds of blogs and websites, to be at the helm of creating stories for entrepreneurs, and to keep at it night and day because I want to, not because I have to.

For now, having red sauce and muddy paws grace my life is about the BEST EVER. Dog play at the bay, rousing action amongst the sludgy shore and water, and listening to moms who know what's best for their child, THAT'S life in a nutshell of simplicity. Did I mention that I adore cooking red sauce over a bowl of chickpea or lentil noodles? Yup, it resonates loudly in my belly and also takes me back to my childhood and my widowed (single) mother who made her homemade red sauce with meatballs. Incredibly delicious and always a dinner we looked forward to as kids. Simple is as simple does.

Until our next creative installment, here's to blessings, adventurous paws, homemade everything, captivating aromas from the kitchen during these chilly months, picturesque sunsets courtesy of Mother Nature, and love all around.