Digressions: My Life in 500 Words or Less

Sometimes I wish I had the focus of a Pomeranian. OK. Not just any Pomeranian. My Pomeranian Zorro. Sometimes I wish I had the focus of Zorro. (Hey, that kind of sounds like a movie title: “The Focus of Zorro.” I can hear the promo: “They thought they had escaped the notice of the masked Pomeranian. But no one escapes … ‘The Focus of Zorro!’”)

Wait. I just lost focus.

If I had the focus of Zorro I would have stayed on point. Zorro constantly reminds me what razor-sharp — keenly obsessive — focus can be like, and, as a writer working on a novel, I can admire that attribute.

Most recently our Pomeranian’s focus has been directed at wayward insects in our home, namely ladybugs and stink bugs. Each year, as the weather gets colder, we get ladybugs vacationing in our home, and this year they invited their stink bug friends.

At this point I should mention our other Pomeranian, Tybalt. Though Tybalt is attentive to many things, he does not have the obsessive focus Zorro possesses. Tybalt is much more laid back. That’s not to say Tybalt doesn’t have focus. It simply means he doesn’t allow it to keep him from giving his attention to other things.

Not so with Zorro.

The brawl-instigating 6-pound ball of energy we brought into our home six years ago can fixate like nobody’s business. For example: Zorro is, first and foremost, food motivated. Dog food. Cat food. People food. Plates of food. Crumbs of food. Well, you get the picture. Zorro doesn’t care what kind of food it is or how big the portion. I’ve even pretended to chew on something to get his attention, so you can add imaginary food to the list.

Regardless of his likelihood of getting a sample, Zorro will devote his entire attention to whoever has food. Becca has even tried getting Zorro’s attention by tapping on his shoulder and blowing on his face when he is focused on the food I’m eating, all to no avail.

Now that is focus.

It’s a similar story with bugs. Zorro will hear the flutter of their wings or see them flying in the room, and he’ll jump up out of a dead sleep. He won’t stop barking at them or tracking their movement until they are completely gone or quiet. These incidents mostly occur as Becca is sleeping and I’m working on the computer, getting ready to call it a night.

The intensity of his attention would be an asset to me as a writer, particularly as I work on my novel. That’s not to say I haven’t focused on my work, but I’ve had to learn to shift focus because of various responsibilities I have, writing-related and otherwise.

I guess the luxury of such intense Zorro-like focus cannot be mine. Ultimately, I have to be able to multi-task.

But, boy, can I fixate on a doughnut.