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Allison Larkin

Internationally Best-Selling Author

You are here: Home / writing / It’s so darn hard.

It’s so darn hard.

March 25, 2009 Filed Under: writing

I went to the library to work today. I needed to get out of the house so very badly. The dogs were driving me nuts and the walls were closing in on me, and the cat was puking in the hallway, and I just had to go. So I packed up and left. I found a yellow vinyl armchair that looked like a prop from That 70’s Show at the end of an aisle of books and sat with my headphones on, listening to my Stay playlist and editing. It was sheer bliss.

Until school let out and the library flooded with kids. I started off thinking, ‘good for their parents taking them to the library after school,’ but switched over to ‘get me the hell out of here’ shortly after, when a little girl in the aisle lost interest in looking for books on pets and started farting and trying to blame it on her sister.

When I got home, our next door neighbor was out (not Mrs. Gnome, the neighbor on the other side). We chatted for awhile. She told me that little Mr. “Hi Argo’s Mom!” came home from school and said he was writing a book for every kid in his class. He came over to chime in that it was 17 books he was making out of paper and drawing the same pictures in every one. She told him that I was writing a book. He said, “Like me!” He looked up at me and said, gravely, “It’s so darn hard.”

It was almost as good as the time last summer when he saw a pile of Argo poop in our back yard and yelled out, “Who pooped in your yard?” It took everything I had not to tell him J did it.

7 Comments

Comments

  1. Dingo says

    March 25, 2009 at 11:40 pm

    Hahahahah! Your pets ran you out of your house. How silly! Oh, wait…

    Reply
  2. Kirsten says

    March 26, 2009 at 12:25 am

    funny, i enjoy passing gas in the library and blaming it on my sister. OK, that was like 25 years ago… ah, memories.

    Reply
  3. Allie says

    March 26, 2009 at 12:58 am

    You were totally my validation in my escape today.

    Reply
  4. Corinne says

    March 26, 2009 at 1:59 am

    You make me laugh out loud:)

    Reply
  5. Reluctant Blogger says

    March 26, 2009 at 4:17 am

    It’s harder to escape when you have children. I remember when mine were little I used to occasionally escape to the car and just sit there with the radio blaring whilst they screamed or bickered in the house. Such a bad mother.

    Reply
  6. courtney says

    March 26, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    Hee! If you had told him J did it, that would have given that kid something to write about.

    Reply
  7. The Modern Gal says

    April 14, 2009 at 1:40 pm

    Kids. Heh.

    Reply

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Internationally bestselling author of STAY, WHY CAN'T I BE YOU and SWIMMING FOR SUNLIGHT. THE PEOPLE WE KEEP coming from @gallerybooks on 8/3/2021

Allison Larkin
A few days ago, I took this photo of turkeys while A few days ago, I took this photo of turkeys while I was out on a run, marveling at how wild animals do not seem to mind when they see me. Once, I almost bumped into a deer, the way a couple might meet-cute in a rom com. We just didn’t see each other. I’ve always thought it was a fun little quirk. Not even bunnies are afraid of me. But this afternoon on my run, I came up over a hill and was suddenly within fifteen feet of a wild boar. Thankfully, a year or two ago I got curious about the big traps that show up trailside around the bay, looked them up and learned about how fast, ruthlessly aggressive, and unpredictable a wild boar can be. Otherwise, I might have (stupidly) thought I was in the middle of another one of my Snow White moments and been all “Hello there, Mr. Pig! Look at you!” believing that I could quietly observe in wonder. Instead, I knew this was a bad situation. The boar grunted and moved to the center of the trail. It felt very ‘You shall not pass!’ But I did not want to pass. I wanted to get away. I backed slowly for a few moments and then turned and ran faster than I ever have in my whole life. I’ve since learned that there’s no way that boar chased me, because there’s no chance of outrunning a boar (climb a tree if you can). But I know that boar saw me and also wasn’t happy about the surprise, and I had a moment, racing back over the hills I’d just run — not daring to look behind me more than once or twice in fear I’d lose my footing — when I truly did not know what would happen. I’ve been in scary situations, but they were a different kind of scary. I don’t think I’ve ever flat out run for my life before, but that’s truly what I thought I was doing. Right now I am still full of adrenaline and also exhausted and so so thankful to be okay.
My lemon is a happy fox. #fruitfaces My lemon is a happy fox. #fruitfaces
I think there’s something about getting older an I think there’s something about getting older and reaching back to the core of who you are. I’ve always been at my happiest when I’m up in a tree.
Portrait of the bestest girl. Stella may be slowin Portrait of the bestest girl. Stella may be slowing down, but she’s still exceptionally curious. #dailystelladog #germanshepherd
Portrait of a woman who just wants a free moment t Portrait of a woman who just wants a free moment to paint over the poop brown bathroom walls that came with this house.
Working on a thing for a thing, but I ran out of d Working on a thing for a thing, but I ran out of daylight and dog patience. Back at it tomorrow. #authorsofinstagram
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