Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – Get a grip: a painful lesson on when to hold on by Allie Potts | Smorgasbord

Welcome to the next in the series of articles from the archives of Allie Potts. This week an eventful walk with her rescue pup who is a wonder dog.. there is a lesson to be learnt from all our adventures.

Get a grip: a painful lesson on when to hold on by Allie Potts

Image from Flickr

The outside temperature had cooled from volcanic rim to a more comfortable Amazonian jungle as I embarked on a walk around the block with Her Royal Highness, my dog. Within seconds of exiting the house, the soles of my flip-flops were slick from the trapped humidity. Still, it was a beautiful day for a walk and HRH was happy enough to trot along by my side.

As we rounded the corner, I noticed a group of teenagers on bicycles approaching. I raised my hand in greeting. As one of the girls passed, she politely said hello. I was thinking to myself what nice kids when WHAM! The next thing I knew I was experiencing the joy of flight. My arm was nearly pulled out of its socket while my feet simultaneously left the ground. Unfortunately, my air time was only short-lived as I found myself next lying on my back in the grassy area that separates sidewalk from street looking up at a blue sky.

Able to pull trains and leap buildings in a single bound, it’s Wonder Dog!

Whimper… *blink blink* Owie… It turned out that HRH, having noticed me greet the teenagers decided it would be a grand idea to introduce herself to them as well. Without delay. So what if they were now already several yards away? HRH typically has impeccable manners and so now and then I forget that she also has the natural strength to hoist the remains of the Titanic off the sea bed floor and the speed of a cheetah running from a bee sting. She was kind enough to remind me. She’d taken off at full tilt, ignoring the minor detail that we were still technically attached.

As feeling began to return to my arm I realized that the leash somehow remained gripped firmly in my hand. I had remained strong even though the same could not be said about gravity. I felt the grass by my side as attempted to sit up and had to wonder at my luck to land in the soft earth when my head could have, should have come in contact with the concrete of the sidewalk.

One of the girls shouted from up the hill, “Are you okay?” I guess they’d witnessed my amazing aerial acrobatics and pulled over to assess the situation.

“I’m fine,” I replied as HRH returned to my side and began licking my face. “But she may not be,” I joked as I rubbed HRH’s head with my good hand to assure her I was okay while attempting to look stern and scolding. I turned the leash over as I regained my footing. I realized that hadn’t been a polite response. Though there was still a dull ache in my arm, overall I was okay. Why wasn’t my skull now cracked on the ground much like Humpty Dumpty?

https://imgur.com/user/ThreeDartsIsTooMuch

I hadn’t let go.

If my hand had only held the leash loosely and I’d let go at the initial snap, I might not have lost my footing, but HRH could have successfully reached those polite kids on their bikes and who knows what sort of injuries might have resulted. If I had let go the minute I realized my feet were parallel to my head I may well be writing this from a hospital bed. But I hadn’t, and because we were still attached, the momentous force that is Her Royal Highness on a mission carried my airborne body just far enough away from the sidewalk to land in the grass with only a minor scrape to show for my experience.

Of course, I would have preferred not to fall at all, but HRH was a stray up until February and the occasional mistake is still to be forgiven. Although, even if she’d been with us since a pup and had years rather than weeks of training, I know a mistake could still happen. No path is without the occasional ill-advised temptation or other misfortune.

The point is, that when these speed bumps happen, you have to keep your grip on that which matters most. While your world may, for a time, seem upside down, if you hold on long enough, you too might just find yourself landing safety.

©Allie Potts 2016

About Allie Potts

Allie Potts, born in Rochester Minnesota was moved to North Carolina at a very early age by parents eager to escape to a more forgiving climate. She has since continued to call North Carolina home, settling in 1998 in Raleigh, halfway between the mountains and the sea.

When not finding ways to squeeze in 72 hours into a 24 day or chasing after children determined to turn her hair gray before its time, Allie enjoys stories of all kinds. Her favorites, whether they are novels, film, or simply shared aloud with friends, are usually accompanied with a glass of wine or cup of coffee in hand.

Books by Allie Potts

One of the reviews for The Fair & Foul

Compelling Sci-Fi by tpolen on September 23, 2016

I’m such a groupie for books involving any kind of genetic manipulation – the scientific aspects fascinate me. If you read the description above, you can see why this one grabbed my attention.

In this novel, there are characters seeking scientific and technical advancements for the right reasons, and those who are only looking out for themselves – which provide some compelling and interesting conflicts. As a woman, Juliane deals with her share of struggles and roadblocks, but her determination to succeed in her field is admirable. The author does a wonderful job of making the reader feel as frustrated and confused as Juliane over certain plot developments. The supporting characters are varying degrees of likable and loathsome and although I was convinced I knew who was trustworthy and who had ulterior motives, I was proven wrong. It’s nice when that happens.

Juliane is a strong, ambitious woman, so it’s disappointing when an attractive guy shows up and she seems to lose focus – but I’m not a fan of romance novels, so that’s a personal preference on my part. At times, the dialogue is somewhat stilted, and the addition of contractions would make conversations sound more natural.

The ending just blew me away and is a perfect launching pad for book two in this series. If you’re a fan of though-provoking sci-fi, this is your book.

Read the reviews and buy the books: https://www.amazon.com/Allie-Potts/e/B00H2VUFUA

and on Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Allie-Potts/e/B00H2VUFUA

Read more reviews and follow Allie on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7366449.Allie_Potts

Coming on December 5th 2017.

Connect to Allie via her blog and social media.

Blog: http://www.alliepottswrites.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alliepottswrite
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allie.potts.79
Google +: https://plus.google.com/116292341272843093815

My thanks to Allie for sharing this and I hope you will head over and explore her blog and her books. I am now looking for posts for the run up to the festive season at the end of the year so delve into your archives and check to see if you have one or two posts that might be suitable. Email me on sally.cronin@moyhill.com