SOLON & BEYOND: The time I let Percy write the column in my absence

by Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

This week I’m going to use a April 1, 2020, that was in The Town Line called, “The time I let Percy write the column in my absence.”

Now I would like to thank Roland from the bottom of my heart, for leaving Percy’s picture beside mine on our column; for all these years. For those of you who don’t know, Percy died quite a few years ago, and I still miss him every day, he was a very remarkable animal! I came across a small clipping that I found recently dated The Town Line, January 3, 2008, with only Percy’s picture (Percy was alive and well at that time, and I had let him write our column that week because I was down in sunny Florida!).

Good morning , dear friends. Don’t worry, be happy!

This is Percy wishing you the happiest of New Years! I am missing my human, she has been down in sunny Florida since before Christmas. I am thrilled beyond belief that she is letting me write this column again, since so many of you have told her that you prefer my writing instead of hers. Since I don’t have any real news to share, I have been reflecting on what subject to write about, think perhaps Happiness might be a good topic to delve into. Our byline each week being, “Don’t Worry be Happy, and she’s been using it for years before I started helping her. Does that make you stop and think just how happy you really are?

Some quotes I can think of are, “Cheerfulness greases the axles of the world. “Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.” True happiness consists in making others happy.” But the one I like the best is “There are two essentials to happiness: something to do, and someone to love.”

It gives me great pleasure to behold the sappy look on my humans face when I lavish her with love, ( I curl up in her lap and put my paw as far around her neck as I can and sing at the top of my lungs!) That is pure ectasy, and makes me happy, also. As I have told you before, the first thing she does when she gets up in the morning, even before she gets her breakfast, is to give me my dish of tuna fish, such love is beyond measure. Do I appreciate it ? You betcha ! She gets pretty upset when I do things I know I’m not supposed to, but she comes around when I make up, unconditional love is the greatest! Are you gaining insight about finding happiness from my words? I do hope so, but to continue, with more wise words. When you do the things you do with love, you give life a gleam that most people only carry a glimpse of. Your attitude affects the outcome of so many things. Smiles inspire smiles. Reaching out brings people in. Looking on the bright side doesn’t entail being naïve and donning rose colored glasses. It simply means leaving the cynicism and complaining to someone else, someone who will spend their whole life wondering why good things don’t come their way.

Anyway, my human and I would like to wish you the Happiest New Year ever! Signed by Percy.

Percy got many of these quotes from different books, and just to let you know, to those of you who have been reading this column for years, Roland has let me get away with lots of mushy stuff over the many years he has been my editor.