Sold Pending Inspection

Our house is Sold Pending Inspection! Yea! We are being offered a little bit more than we asked for. I'm trying to be thrilled, but it is tempered by waiting for everything to be really real when the inspection clears.

QUOD: Why must following our bliss be so damn challenging?
MUWOW: pupportunities. The opportunities for pups in my book, such as off-leash dog parks, sidewalk dining, and beautiful b&bs and inns that allow dogs.

Now to dive deep. Here I am blogging the tip of the iceberg of my experience, while a life several fathoms deep lurks under the surface. I do want to share the immensity and wildness of being SFHC, but most of it is still too close under my skin. I suspect it's all going to have to go into a novel or two, loosely disguised as prose and parables.

And, frankly, there's too much going on right now. I barely have time to live it and cope, much less write about it.

Let's start by dropping a small bomb. My brother is schizophrenic. So far, his pathology is largely benign to others and damaging to himself, things like walking around naked, giving away all his possessions, and deciding he doesn't need food.

One of the hardest parts about living with mental illness is having to grieve each day or each event anew, never being allowed to get over the loss and move on. Sometimes, I actually envy people whose tragedy is losing loved ones in death. Other people can understand and relate and aren't afraid to comfort you, and you get to spend brain and heart time with finality of death, and start focusing on recovery and recuperation. To me, coping with mentally ill loved ones is having to face many small tragedies without release.

And now for something completely different. Yesterday was such a treat for me. I got to spend all day with dozens of dogs who were being photographed by a genius, Bev Sparks, and play and pet and love on all of these joyful beings. Because I was selling my book, it was all in the name of work, too. Hah!