104. Frankie Has Your Back

This listener’s okay thing is knowing that her dog, Frankie, is always looking out for her.

Transcripts may not appear in their final version and are subject to change.

 INTRO MUSIC 

VOICEMAIL BEEP

Okay Caller: My name is Sarah, and today it’s going to be okay because of two things that don’t sound related. The first is the view for my hammock. The second is because Frankie has your back. We moved out to the country about two years ago and one month after we moved, my soul dog, Lila passed unexpectedly after a surgery that was supposed to save her, and that week was just horrible while very close to the last place I hugged her before we took her to be cremated, my sweet and generous partner hung up our hammock.

It gives me a view of our whole backyard. I can stare up at the sky through the trees. I can eavesdrop on our neighbors and welcome visitors as they enter through the back gate. This vantage point also provides a view of our backyard neighbors to the south. For context, our neighbors raise sheep, chickens, and race horses.

When the race horses are new or sick, they sequester them behind our house, right where I can watch them from my hammock. You’re thinking this is why she rode in, because free views of very pretty horses is worth it all by itself. But where does Frankie come in? Don’t worry. We’re getting there. So one day while I was admiring the newest resident of our Little Pony pasture, my partner let our new dogs outside.

For more context, we have a pit bull and Frenchy mix named Wally and a purebred English bulldog both rescued the English bulldog. Frankie, I believe, was sent to me by my soul dog. Rest her sweet little pity paw. Frankie. Has an underbite the size of a snapback flat bill, so large, it impressed the vet so large.

She struggles with her own kibbles, designed specifically for dogs like this. Frankie normally. Very even keel and relatively quiet. Barring her struggle to breathe through her short nose. Took one look at this beautiful racehorse and charged at it full speed, growling as menacingly as she could, which honestly didn’t sound much different from her normal snorts.

And this horse was so scared it wined and ran behind its hay shed. If this. Little English bulldog with an underbite so tragic she can barely eat, can muster the immediate confidence to charge a race horse 20 times her size and successfully intimidate it to such a degree that it cowers behind a shed.

Then we all can find that confidence somewhere in ourselves. It’s going to be okay because I can find laughter and peace and joy in the same place. My heart shattered just a couple years ago and it’s going to be okay because Frankie will always have your back.

OUTRO MUSIC

 You heard it here first, people, Frankie has your back. I already feel better knowing that. Thank you so much to Sarah for sending in that wonderful Okay thing. I am Nora McInerny. This is, it’s going to be Okay. And the best thing about this show is that okay thing changes every day and it’s different for everyone.

CREDITS