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Daisy, my neighbors’ 8-year-old golden retriever, arrived last night. She is staying with me for a week while her people are in Canada. She’s lying on the couch next to me as I type this.
It’s been exactly five weeks since my dog died.
My dog never tried to get on the couch.
The last time I wrote I was in New York, on an extended vacation, my first in more than 10 years. I got to see friends and family I don’t see very often, go to mind-blowing museum exhibits, enjoy some nature outside the city, and not think much about the future.
But then I came home to an apartment that felt empty and stupid. And now I’m sitting here, looking at a dog who looks a little bit like the one I lost, and we both know this is weird and temporary.
Maybe that should be my new band name: Weird and Temporary. I’m trying to roll with it, not let it phase me. To be more like Daisy – shrug, stretch, nap.
Sometimes I get sucked into my to-do list, feeling anxious about prioritizing tasks/time, getting everything done, not letting anyone down. And sometimes I stop and look around like, what the hell am I doing – or SUPPOSED to be doing – with my life? Then I go visit my 97-year-old grandmother who can’t really see, hear, or walk; who still lives alone and won’t accept much help; and who has spent the last 18 years stubbornly refusing to spend money on things she can easily afford (functioning appliances, hip replacements, food that’s not on sale) because “Hon, I’m not going to live much longer.”
“Why even eat, then?” I ask. Frustrated.
“Well, I don’t eat much anyway,” she says. Then: “I miss your mother.”
“I miss my dog,” I say. She nods.
I facilitated an online workshop yesterday, about building your personal brand and showing up online with confidence. The speaker emphasized the importance of being able to articulate your own brand: What do you really want to say? What do you stand for? What promises are you making?
For 10 years, I guess my brand was Greatest Dog’s Greatest Caretaker. And I don’t regret a second of it.
But now? I don’t think “refusing to end up like your cheap and/or miserable family members” is much of a brand.
Also not a brand: "Ignoring the to-do list for the rest of the day and instead getting ice cream, taking a dog to the beach, and reading a book." But that's still gonna happen once I hit send on this thing.
Good stuff
For next week
Even if you don’t have your own business, even if you are not selling anything, how would you describe your personal brand? Or feel free to explain to me why the entire concept of personal brand is bullshit. Because I can really go either way on this. As always you can reply directly to this email and anything I share will be anonymous.
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