I opened my printer the other day to scan some new author contracts only to find that an old paper plastered to the glass. With dog pee. The urine had not only glued the form to the glass but managed to find its way into the inner workings of the machine.  The desk and printer sit next to my bed and it all clicked. No wonder I smelled urine but couldn’t find anything to clean up.

Miraculously, the machine worked and continues to do so.

I had Buster, our latest foster dog, to thank for the lovely aroma and the clean up. I love you Buster!

Thinking over all the foster dogs my husband and I had these last few years, I realized that there are no easy keepers, but I cherished my time with all of them and every little disaster was worth it for the lessons learned.

Buster wasn’t planned. I hadn’t wanted another foster in April of 2019. I worked full time as a teacher, adjuncted at Norwalk Community College and attempted to find time to write. But every time I checked the Save One Soul website and saw Buster’s picture, I felt the pull to do something.

Buster was nine years old and spent his entire life in a shelter after being found next to his mother who had been hit by a car. His sister had been adopted the year before. I couldn’t let him spend another day in the shelter. I took a leap of faith. We brought Buster to Connecticut to foster and within a month he was adopted by a wonderful retired couple who had a lot of time to dote on him.

There are times in our lives we all need to take that leap of faith, whether it is writing something out of our comfort zone, taking on a personal challenge, or submitting a book to a publisher even with the dread of rejection looming. Buster has taught me the importance of taking the leap. You might get peed upon, but you might also end up doing something great.