06 Mar STOP & SMELL THE TINKLE

Well, if you’ve read anything of mine – you’ll realize I spend a lot of time, complaining about not having any time.  Frankly, I seem to find a lot of things to whine about. (I don’t necessarily have the right to complain about them, but I do!)  And putting them into poetry is much better than yelling at my kids, or the pets.  So here I am, telling you I’m about pitching my second book… when my first book doesn’t come out for 2 months!!   Perhaps I’m a glutton for punishment?  Or maybe, just maybe, I do have a lot to write(aka whine) about…

Ok.  Honestly, I don’t have anything to complain about… not a thing.  But little(or slightly larger) irritating things really get under my skin, especially after a long day, or when I’m stressed, or when I didn’t get enough sleep, or I’m hungry.  If you ask my wife – this is pretty much all the time.  So ignoring the fact that things are pretty great – I’ve discovered that turning all my irritation/angst/pain into a laugh makes me a better person.  That, and eating.  So believe me when I say – pets have given me plenty to “laugh” about.

Now, don’t get me wrong… my kids still give me PLENTY to “laugh” about too, but I thought it would be fun to tackle all the angst of pet ownership in a book.  Actually, a book of poems.  Anyway, check out this awesome cover mock-up my buddy Andy helped create.  I love it!!  And I love writing poems about all the little irritating things I hate.  I’m hoping, in the end, this all makes me a better person.  Otherwise, I’m stressing about writing poems I don’t really need to be writing, which are about things that irritate me probably because I’m stressed about writing them.

Is it possible I’m generating all this angst myself?  A continuous loop of cranky consternation?  Possibly.  Maybe I’ve never found my “center”.  Maybe I’ve lost my positivity.  Or maybe my dog tracked more mud into the house and smells like a low-tide, it hasn’t stopped raining  in weeks, and I just realized my kid spilled dog food all over the dining room floor(among other messes).

Yes, in the end, this is all just life.  And I’m happy to be here.  I’m thrilled to have two boys, a great wife, a dog, 2 cats, and at last count, 7 tiny shrimp.  I can complain all I want, write poems even – but these are the best companions(aka family) a guy could have, and frankly – they’re just giving me “inspiration”.