That Man You See Out for a Walk...

That man you see out for a walk... just may happen to be a writer. At least,  that's what I learned this morning when I was jogging down Monkland Ave., near my house in Montreal.

I spotteda man in a blue and white seersucker shirt and when I got a little closer, I realized it was one of my neighbours --  let's call him "Vinny" (I checked with him and he prefers to remain more or less anonymous in today's blog entry.) Usually,Vinny is with his dog, a sweet black lab named Rocco (Rocco is not concerned about his anonymity!) 

So I said to Vinny, "What are you doing out on Monkland without Rocco?" He looked a little sheepish (as opposed to dogged) and then he admitted he was WORKING ON A PARAGRAPH!! Vinny had a long and distinguished career as an English literature professor at the University of Massachusetts (is it just me or is that one of the hardest words to spell in the English language?) and has written several books. His latest project has to do with medicine in the Middle Ages (I hope I got that right, Vinny!) Anyway, the reason I thought I'd blog about my encounter with Vinny is that it goes to prove a point I am fond of making: PEOPLE WRITE EVEN WHEN THEY ARE NOT WRITING!! And the moral of that is: if you are stuck on a paragraph, go for a walk -- with or without your dog.

PS: Speaking of cats and dogs... though I have allergies to both c's and d's, I have befriended a little black and white c on my block. This morning, I gave him or her (I didn't figure out which he or she is) a little smoked salmon for a treat. He or she seemed very hungry and on the skinny side. Now I need to find out whether she's got people -- or if she needs some. Will let you know how that "story" develops. In the mean time, back to the one I'm writing!