A few months ago, I felt a hard lump when I was petting my English cocker spaniel puppy, Moke. I tried hard not to panic. He’s my sixth dog, so I’m used to health challenges–some minor, some as serious as they get.
I chose to adopt a watch-and-wait policy, but when the lump grew, I called the vet. The news that Moke had an abscess on the right side of his neck came as a monster relief. It wasn’t cancer! However, he would need to be put under general anesthesia since the abscess was located close to the carotid artery. So much for not worrying.
The surgery went fine, and both Moke and everyone in the vet’s office were quite ready to have me take my puppy home. He’s quite the Velcro dog, always wanting to be by my side, and he voiced his unhappiness at being confined in his recovery pen at top volume. Apparently, the pain meds worked since he barely stopped long enough to take a breath.
“He’s got a tube in his neck to let the remaining fluids drain out,” the vet tech said before we left. “We’ll take it out in five days. Until then, leash walks only. We don’t want a bush opening everything back up.”
Leash walks only? For five days? With a puppy? Are you kidding?
Moke and I agreed. No way that would work. It was time to get creative.
I knew the gauzy dressing the tech had put around his neck would be soaked in no time. So first, I needed to find some kind of neck gaiter. I remembered that I had cut off the legs of a pair of cotton yoga pants. That would do the job.
Next, I would need an additional layer to hold the cotton one in place. At the start of COVID-19, I had bought an assortment of stretchy neck gaiters, thinking they could serve as masks. Clearly, that idea didn’t work out so well, but my purchases would work great on Moke and look cute to boot.
As always during the summer months, I would add the ear mitts he wears to avoid getting cheat grass or foxtails in his ears. Since that wraps around his throat, that would add another layer of protection.
Finally, I had an inflatable soft donut collar that he actually likes to wear. Perfect. No way was a bush or anything else getting to the surgery site.
My setup worked just as well as I had imagined. And it reinforced my sense that sometimes, you have to do whatever it takes to make things work. That adage absolutely applies to writing.
Don’t feel inspired to write? Do it anyway. Just sitting down in front of a computer or piece of paper will help get the ideas and the words to flow.
Dreading a particular task related to the book you’re working on? Do that first and get it out of the way. The dread is usually far worse than the reality.
Other plans getting in the way of writing? If you really want to finish that book you’re working on, carve out time earlier in the day or cancel the other commitments.
It’s all about priorities. If writing is yours, do whatever it takes to make it work.
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