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| Jack & Oscar, Garden Court, Dec 2021 |
Earlier this month while walking Oscar we headed east and suddenly
I noticed the Cascade Mountains covered in snow, their peaks glowing in the
distance. I gasped in awe since several days earlier, before the storms of the
past weekend, the peaks were bare.
That sense of wonder still delights me all these years later. I arrived in Seattle in 1986 and am in awe of all the changes, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. The past 21 months have been tough on Seattle’s downtown and on our neighborhoods where homeless camps engulf parks and other public places. The CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest Zone) stood only 5 blocks from my home. And yet there is still a resilience, a beauty, that I discover on my walks with Oscar.
Staying present to the small things, like
the squirrels foraging nuts, who I swear egg Oscar into chasing them. Or the orange-red
berries dangling from a bush on a grey November day. Or the person without
shelter who smiles at me when I acknowledge them on an early December morning.
Encountering poverty, the poor of spirit, on my street corner, has not been an
easy thing to stomach or sweep under the rug.
And yet again I am grateful for the blessings that I have
received in my own life. I continue to work my “day job” at a behavioral
research center at the University of Washington’s Department of Psychiatry.
While theatre was pretty much silent until the past few months, I was lucky to
snag several well-paying commercial gigs this year that allowed me to continue
to stay engaged in creative pursuits. The last month I have begun querying
agents about the coming-of-age memoir I spent the past 12 years writing, shaping,
revising, improving with the help of a supportive writer’s group. It’s a
challenging endeavor to get published, but I gotta try! Promise me you’ll buy
at least one copy if I “make it.”
Oscar the dog continues to make inroads into my heart,
testing my patience and my sense of self. He is much barkier than I expected
when I adopted him last February and when I say “calm” anticipating his
lizard-like prelude will lead to an all-out Woooof, I am using “calm” not only
for him but for me too. We live overlooking a courtyard where residents of my
condo come and go with their dogs so certain canines set Oscar off. And when he
starts to woof, it’s hard for his little body to stop. But we are making
headway. We will be taking a yoga and meditation class together starting next
month (just kidding😉)
I hope this finds you in good spirits, good health, good in
all ways. Family or friend (they are often interchangeable) I am grateful for
our connection and that we continue to keep it.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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| Jack & Odie, Garden Court, Feb 2021 |
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| La Conner Tulip Fields, April 2021 |
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| Oscar the Grouch, Grounded, March 2021 |
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| Aidan, Addison, Jack & Oscar Get Ice Cream, May 2021 |
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| Jack & Odie, Provincetown, Sept 2021 |
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| Odie, Jack & Maria, 35th College Reunion, June 2021 |
Happy Holidays to you, too, Jack! And every good wish for 2022. BTW, have you considered self-publishing on Amazon? And then publishing excerpts on "common interest" social media sites that would entice people to get the whole book. It is so hard to get published by a regular publisher--and now it's unnecessary. So if you haven't yet considered self-publishing on Amazon and decided one way or the other--check it out! Say hello to Oscar for me! Best, Artie Rubin
ReplyDeleteSo nice to hear from you Artie and best wishes for a Happy & Healthy 2022. Yes, I am aware of Amazon as an alternative to the traditional publishing house route. I guess I'd like to at least give it a try with an agent who is willing/open to represent me. I've been told that if you start with Amazon and self-publish, the publishing houses typically aren't interested in you. Plus while I think I have a decent social media presence, it's a lot of work going through the process of marketing your book and being solely responsible for getting it out there. If you know of anyone who has done either the publishing house route or self-published route, and think it would be beneficial for me to chat with them, please let me know! Thanks, Artie!
DeleteHappy Christmas to you. Much joy for a healthy New Year! Stay safe!
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve, I appreciate your support and friendship. Hope to see you in 2022!
ReplyDeleteJack: Happy, happy 2022 to you. You are always such a bright light. I love your stories and am happy to see you're committed to your art and creativity. Much love!
ReplyDelete-Sarah
Always love hearing from you, sweet Sarah. Hope to see you and Brandi as spring begins to show her face.
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