Friday, June 19, 2009

The Stories of Our Lives

I'm breaking with my usual format a bit here, which is that I read a book and tell you how it was. Sometimes, people who've read it too or think the book sounds interesting comment back. But I'm reading a different sort of book right now, and I want to do something different with my post about it.

I came across I Thought My Father Was God And Other True Tales From NPR's National Story Project by Paul Auster while I was looking for something else. It's exactly what it sounds like, random stories from random people. Sad, funny, bizarre, you name it. The stories are short, and the book is like popcorn -- always just "one more piece" until you've eaten the whole bag. It also defies any meaningful analysis. So instead, I want to hear your stories. Post as many true stories as you like, on any topic you can think of, in the comments, and I'll publish them. (The only real reason I moderate is to avoid the Viagra spammers). I'll get things started with one of my own:

Pudgy

When I met my boyfriend, he had a great dog, a Sheltie named Pudgy. Pudgy always greeted me at the door when I came over, liked to lie on the bed with me, and liked to herd people towards the door when he needed to go out. My boyfriend had done all of the training for Pudgy when he was a pup, so they were especially close.

But Pudgy started to get old, and sick. His hips went bad, he couldn't see very well, and most ominously of all, he had a large,dark growth on his stomach. They put him to sleep one beautiful autumn day so that he wouldn't have to suffer with the cold of winter.

But the family had never been without a dog for long. As much as they had loved Pudgy, there was an empty place in the family that needed to be filled. They reserved a pup from a breeder of Golden Retrievers, about a two-hour drive from their house. One spring day, the rest of the family traveled to get their new dog. My boyfriend stayed home by himself.

As he was puttering around the house, he happened to look out the front door. There, on their porch, was a Sheltie dog that looked exactly like Pudgy. The dog sat there on the porch and looked at him for a few minutes, as if to say, "It's OK to get a new dog, but don't forget me." Then, the dog ran away. It's a small and tight-knit neighborhood, but my boyfriend had never seen the dog before, nor did he ever see it again.


Let's hear yours.