The Art of Racing in the Rain

Last year a little quiz thing circulated Facebook stating that according to the BBC, out of 100 "classic" books, most people had only read 6. It has been my goal since then to read every book on that list. So far I have read The Great Gatsby and The Lovely Bones, but I recently decided to take a detour from my BBC list and read The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

I was warned. This book was going to make me cry, and that it did.

I usually don't read books about animals, because I know they are going to die, and for some reason an animal dying almost always has to be more sad than a person dying. I was intrigued with the concept of the dog narrator, and I enjoyed the quirkiness of dogdom, but midway through it began to feel a little tedious to read. You know the dog is going to die, it is not really a spoiler, the first chapter sort of starts Pulp Fiction-style near the end. But as I got to the end it pulled nicely together and left me overall feeling like it was worth my time and money.

I recommend this book to anyone who can handle the emotional story of a dog and his master, and the story of their lives together and the beautiful wisdom and the pictures it paints of a dog and his family. I will honestly always look at my doggies differently now.

Understanding why things happen for a reason....

Why is it so hard to understand the way and the will of God.

I must say that when fate brought me to Bridge Street 2 weekends ago for a fun night out with friends, only to discover that a fantastic job opportunity was right there, it seemed like a billboard from God. I have stepped away from my BFA and design for almost 4 years now with only some freelance and some creativity sporatically interspersed over that time period. I have walked away and sacrificed it for time to spend with my family. But here I was with 2 people affirming my BFA, how amazing did that feel?! It felt like it was meant to be, it really did, and I was terrified.

When this job at Anthropologie basically fell into my lap, I really thought that was my cue to move onto something new.

The resume, the call, the interview, it all went so well. I guess I am just trying to figure out what I was supposed to get from it all, since I obviously did not get the job.

What am I supposed to learn from this experience.

I think the first thing I am thankful for is that I am not working in Huntsville. I am greatful for the fact that I do not have to commute 3 hours a day, that I do not have to wake up at 4:00 am to get there, and I do not have to be so far away and rely on others to care for my most precious gift.

I think it also reminded me that I am a creative and artistic person, and I can throw it all together still on a whim. I do still have a solid skill set, and it is just on the backburner now while more pressing things are in my life like raising my son and supporting my husband into medical school.

So where does it leave me? Who knows. Still searching I guess. Still searching for what I am supposed to do in the meantime. How am I supposed to help contribute to our little family while life is crazy and chaotic? God will provide a way and a means. Who am I to question what, where, and how. All I can do is discover, review and file away what I have learned and keep pressing forward.