TOW #7- "My Touchstone and a Heart of Gold" by Caroline Leavitt

My TOW for this week is the short memoir essay, "My Touchstone and a Heart of Gold" by Caroline Leavitt. Caroline Leavitt is an American novelist, and is the author of "Is This Tomorrow" and "Picture of You". This essay is about a young woman who experiences trouble with finding love. She begins the essay explaining how she used to live with her boyfriend who was very different than she is. They bought a pet tortoise named Minnie, and Leavitt's affection for the animal eventually creates a split in her boyfriend and her relationship, causing them to separate and live on their own. Leavitt eventually finds someone who does not mind the turtle, and they end up getting married. Her new husband, Jeff, praised her for things her old boyfriend found endless flaws in, and allowed her to feel cared about. During Leavitt's time of illness, Minnie became sick and they had to put him down. This was very upsetting for Leavitt, since Minnie was her companion when nobody else was, and Minnie meant a lot to her. Jeff got a portrait of Minnie made, and hung it up for Caroline as a surprise, showing her that he understands the impact Minnie's death had on her, and that he cares for her and wants to support her. The purpose of this essay was to show the impact love and care can have. In Caroline's relationship with her old boyfriend, he put her down for something as small as caring for a turtle, and it eventually escalated into him speaking rudely of her about many other subjects. At the end of the essay, Caroline reflects on how even though she had quirks, somebody cared for her, just like she cared for Minnie."I was no more fit in my old life than Minnie had in his tiny pet store tank. I remembered my ex telling me he wanted a girlfriend who was more normal...there was Minnie. A strange little figure. Uncommon. Odd. And completely and always beloved"(Leavitt). This shows how Minnie and her were both strange and similar in that way, and at first were unlucky in love and having people to care about them. However, despite seeming strange to others, they were able to find love in their own ways, and able to show how much of a positive influence it had on her life.