Are Canine Kisses a #Moodlifter? by Christine DePetrillo

Is there anything in the world better than sloppy doggie kisses? Is there? I doubt it. I can have the absolute worst day, but ten seconds after opening my garage door and stepping into my basement, my entire outlook is changed. Science agrees with me. According to this Time article, "People who have pets tend to have lower blood pressure, heart rate and heart-disease risk than those who don’t." Pets are moodlifters and good for your body! 

Keeping an eye on some deer in our field

For those of you that don't know, I have a large dog. A very large dog. Like outweighs-me-large dog. When I come home, he's usually right on the other side of the door, tail a-waggin' and snuffling noises of pure excitement sounding as I push into the house.

And then we cuddle. Seriously cuddle. Due to his size, I can literally spoon my dog. So that's what we do. For at least a 60-second count. In that minute of spooning, my soul is at total peace. Nothing in the world matters. Nothing that happened at work matters. Nothing on my to-do list matters. There is only thick German Shepherd fur to bury my face in. There are only oversized ears to rub. There is only the deep, growling rumble of canine bliss as we enjoy our reunion.

But such snuggling only lasts so long and then the beast wants to walk and play. He's a good sport though. He'll throw a few more kisses my way and when I've been sufficiently loved, we walk for a good forty minutes through the 'hood. Most days, I'm not really sure who walks who.

A few neighbors say hello, but most have learned that my dog takes protecting me very, very seriously. If your hello is a little too boisterous, he'll let you know. If your greeting looks as if you might approach us, he'll tell you to stay back. If you're walking with a little dog... good GOD, don't bother with us at all! Neither of us can handle it.

When we've had enough of the streets, we return home to play in the yard or in the basement. Or, most likely, both places. After this hour of walk and play--and sometimes dancing (The Werewolf loves to conga)--both the dog and I are different. He's released some of his zoomies and I've tapped into a new well of my energy. We're both renewed. I'm able to slip into writer mode after this transition time with my pooch. My mind is settled and ready to create some magic on the page.

I always thought I was a cat person, and don't get me wrong, I love my two cats, but it's not the same. They don't alter my mood. They don't seem to know exactly what I need.

They poop on the carpet.

I'd much rather have canine kisses. How about you?

Toodles,
Chris
christinedepetrillo.weebly.com 

Looking for more kisses and canines? Try Wolf Kiss, Book One in my Warrior Wolves series. Only $0.99 in ebook!

Having it All ~ by Leah St. James

I came of age in an odd, in-between period of time. The hippie movement had passed, disco ruled, and the women’s movement was beginning to establish a foothold in the hearts and minds of America’s female population.

By the time I was a young teen, Billie Jean King had (successfully) challenged Bobby Riggs to see women not as a weaker gender but as equal.  A few years later, Helen Reddy sang“I am Woman,” declaring “If I have to, I can do anything.”



Women, once consigned by societal mores to traditional roles of wife, mother, secretary, nurse and teacher, could now do more. We could marry, raise a family, go to law school or med school, get an MBA from Harvard and run a company—we could do anything.

With the help of scholarships, I went to college and started taking classes like biology and chemistry. I didn’t know where that path would lead, but I knew I wanted to do something important. I wanted to make a difference—maybe decoding the genes that defined disease.

Then I met my husband.

Before I knew it, was married and living in a suburb of Washington, D.C., working for one of the federal agencies that hunts down bad guys. I was doing something that mattered. Another checkmark on my having-it-all list.

A couple years later, son number one was born, and my list was complete. I had the meaningful career, marriage to a wonderful guy, and motherhood with all its joys. Joys like breathing in that clean baby scent, watching him sleep, his little mouth making sucking movements as he dreamed of eating. Playing at bath time, water splashing and sloshing over the rim of the tub, onto the floor. Watching him toddle those first tentative steps. Reading to him, singing to him – Okay, he preferred my husband’s impersonation of Elvis’s “C.C. Rider” over my Linda Ronstadt, but whatever.

I also remember sleepless nights, constant exhaustion and weekends filled with cleaning and shopping and hours at the Laundromat. I remember fighting D.C. traffic morning and night, using “vacation” days to stay home with a sick baby, and daycare bills that took most of my pay. And the worst—the GUILT of leaving my baby with strangers for more than 50 hours a week.

At work, I stumbled from day to day, watching the clock until I could bolt for home. I was doing it all—marriage, motherhood, career—but struggled to do it well.

When our second son came along, I quit my full-time job to do transcription work. The pay was lousy but I could work at home on my schedule. I joined PTA committees, served as grade mom and went on class trips. I worked crazy hours—late nights and weekends—but I had a ball.

My sons are grown now and I'm so proud of the men they've become. But I can't help but wonder how things would have turned out had I stayed the career course. Money would have been easier over the years, and my sons probably wouldn't be carrying the same student debt load, but would they be different men?

So my question is: Can a mother be successful at having “it all”?

I think you can, with the right circumstances. (Alicia Dean shared her story on the 19th.) For me, it wasn’t until I’d redefined “it all,” that I was happy and counted my choices a success.

What about you?
______________________

Leah writes stories of mystery and romance, good and evil, and the enduring power of love. Please visit Leah at LeahStJames.com.