Giving Tuesday- I’m Giving to You!

Hey guys- long time no talk, right? I miss you all.

I’m here, though as you probably noticed less so than I used to be. It’s by design- lots of stuff in the works as always, and figuring out how this little blog fits in to all of it is always something I think about. People are reading fewer words these days, looking at more pictures, listening to more podcasts. How do we continue to stay in touch in a world whose canvas is ever-changing? Do I even want to try? (Yes. You should always try.) That being said, writing is at the core of what I do; curated hair tutorials, which I think my daughter would respect me for a lot more, just aren’t my bag. We are who we are. I also like to talk, though, so we’ll see what that means for 2017. Stay tuned. 😉

I updated my website last week, at long last, because it wasn’t mobile responsive, and was ready for a little update. Mobile responsive. That didn’t even exist as a concept in 2009 when we launched and now it’s an absolute necessity. So yes- we change with the times, and the site is now not only the blog but the book and the speaking and the other things I’ve been blessed to do because of the blog. But did you see there’s a dog running around on the homepage? Hello, that’s so awesome and worth all the work.

Thanksgiving is a weird one; we’re supposed to go from grateful and all-the-feels to “spend everything” in the space of one day. So now it’s #GivingTuesday, which follows #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday when your pocketbooks are already drafty and cobweb filled from the irresistible Amazon flash deals and midnight Target runs, here like a finger wagging auntie to remind you in your post-spending spree glow that even though you spent every last dime you really should be focusing on the intangibles, like giving.

Nonetheless, here we are, and here we sit, thinking about how we can give. We give money, and we give stuff, and we give time. I think that last one is highly underrated these days. We spend too much time talking and not enough time listening, too busy to stop and really look at what’s going on around us, who is hurting, who might need our help and compassion. Sometimes that person is you, and all that saves you is that one person who’s paying attention and reaches out when you need it most. I feel like we used to be better at that, but now we’re too focused on the phone in front of us that we trip over our neighbor splayed out on the sidewalk. When did this happen? We’ve forgotten how to slow down and breathe.

I breathed a lot this weekend. I spent it binge watching Westworld and The Crown (omg Westworld! BERNARD!!! Someone please talk about this with me) and it was such a luxury because I never have time to binge watch anything. The only reason I did it was because I was too sick to do anything else, which a decade ago would have meant I shoved through and did it anyway, but now I just stop. It’s nice. I wish I could convince myself to do it more often, do nothing, veg out and make the kids scrounge up leftovers for dinner.

I was supposed to be working on editing my next book proposal, which I would love to get a move on but not while hopped up on cold meds. What an honor it is to even have the ability to do that, to have an agent who works with me, and readers who support me in that. You guys are the genesis of all of that, and I am thankful every day for the people who read here. Some of you have been here since 2009, which is nuts and amazing and humbling, so now that I’m on the mend- back to work.

Books are my heart, and I’m working on it. In the meantime, I found All Dogs Go to Kevin at my local Target and that was kind of like the best thing ever. EVER! Me, sharing shelf space with Harper Lee for the space of one brief and glorious month. I may or may not have been followed around by suspicious Target employees wondering why the weird woman spent so much time staring at a line of books in aisle A47 and wiping her nose.

So I give what I can, where I can. Today, I have my books. I want to give some to you. I’ve decided to do it this way:

Five copies to the first five people who email me a receipt for a $10 or more Giving Tuesday donation to the nonprofit of their choice. Animals, humans, environment, whatever floats your boat. Send me a photo of your receipt dated today to drv@pawcurious.com, and I’ll send you a copy of All Dogs Go to Kevin because who doesn’t want to go to the post office this time of year, right? 🙂 (You’re all worth it.) The book totally fits in stockings, I checked.

And the other five copies here, as a giveaway to whoever wants it, because I’m celebrating that this site is still here, and you’re still here, and we’re still here. Resilience is one of the cornerstones of the human condition, right? And I’m so happy to share it all with you guys.
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