A Dirt Colored Chihuahua on a Dirt Road

True Story

    Now I know this sounds bad and I know what you’re thinking. Poor Chihuahua. But no. The Chihuahua lives!! That little brown dog ran with all its heart’s desire to get across that clay dirt road to my father in law’s house and made it, safe and sound.
    True story. My husband and I were leaving his father’s house. We were talking about mundane things, my books I believe, and weren’t focusing on the road as much as normal. I saw it out of the corner of my eye. It is a rat? Is it a squirrel? No! It’s a Chihuahua! Honey, stop! And that little bit of notice, of raised voice, a slight pressure of breaks saved a dirt colored Chihuahua’s life. But with him being the same color as the road, it can hardly be our fault for not seeing him.
    Now, anyone who lives in the southern states knows about the clay. It’s everywhere that there’s dirt. Clay is a brownish-orangeish dirt\mud that coats and sticks to everything. You may as well have brown or orange carpet if you live near a lake or river- word of advice if you’re planning a move. I used to live in South Carolina, on Hartwell Lake, and it had the most clay I’ve ever seen. The stairs and concrete pavement of our condo was literally stained with it.
    Anyway. I said all that to say this.
    Why on earth would you have a dirt colored Chihuahua if you live on a dirt road? You’re not exactly setting that little dog up for safe travels or easy maneuvering are you? No. And I’m sure we weren’t the first one’s to ‘almost’ hit the poor little guy and we won’t be the last but this whole experience brought a little light to other parts of my life.
I refuse to be a dirt colored Chihuahua.
    If you go with the flow, don’t fight the tide, float with the stream, don’t rock the boat (I’m sure there are other sayings that are not water related but, presently, I can think of none.) then you’ll never stand out, never be your own being and never be noticed in a crowd of millions of others trying to do the exact same thing as you.
    Take me, for instance. I’m an author. I write fiction, mostly paranormal and Sci-Fi stuff but every now and then will dip into the contemporary. Well, there are thousands others out there, just like me, who can write and type and throw words together who want the same chances that I do. To be known and appreciated for what I do.
    But this works for everything. Think about it. What about a student? How do you get noticed when there are other kids who are just as average and normal as you, right there in the seat next to you? If you want a promotion at work, would you do the same thing all the other contenders are doing to catch the bosses eye and hope he notices you somehow in the throws?
    Well, that’s the question you have to ask yourself. We can hardly fault the world for being so dismissive of us when there doesn’t seem to be anything that shines a light on us, making them take notice. How can I be noticed in a business where authors are a dime a dozen? How do I take my dirt colored self and make me blue in a brown world, or pink to a red world, ect, ect. I have decided to do just that. I’m going to jump out of the boat, swim against the current, tell my boss (I.e. the fancy people who tell me I can’t write what I want and publish if I want) I quit my job and am starting my own business. The business of my life. Today, I’m telling the television, the neighbors, other authors, my family, HOLLYWOOD that I quit being dirt colored. I am not a product of a cookie cutter and I certainly am not a follower. I won’t be told that what’s good for everyone else is what’s right for me, period. I will produce something that makes people smile, think, feel good and laugh instead of bring them down. If you take a bouquet of yellow daisies and set a red rose right in the middle, it stands out, making it the first thing you see, put your nose to smell and think about.
    Join me. Let’s not be dirt colored Chihuahuas on dirt roads anymore. Let’s be white and black spotted gray ones together, making a difference and standing out…in a good way.
　
                                                                     Best Wishes and Happy Endings,
                                                                                     Shelly Crane

    My books are for sale on Amazon.com The link is listed here if you are interested and I hope you enjoy my little bit of color to this world. Thank you.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_p_n_feature_browse-b_mrr_2?rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Ashelly+crane%2Cp_n_feature_browse-bin%3A618073011&bbn=283155&keywords=shelly+crane&ie=UTF8&qid=1309114282&rnid=618072011