Break Time

August 27, 2020:

In light of my upcoming shoulder surgery, I thought it might be appropriate for me to take a little time away from posting my weekly blog. I will admit that I am feeling somewhat distracted by the impending operation, and even though it is supposed to be a simple same day procedure, there is a daunting six to eight-week recovery period involved. This is not, in any way, meant to diminish the significance of others who are going through much tougher challenges.

I do enjoy writing and chronicling my day to day endeavours as I plod along the cryptic path in search of my creative identity, and as such, I thought I might use this interval to explore self-publishing my first novel. I have always been an inspired spirit and even though life interruptus has prevailed over the years the embers of imagination have been continuously simmering on the back burner of my overzealous mind. Maybe, it’s time to do this.

I wrote Misty Lake, a story about a middle-aged woman who is being terrorized by her neighbour, several years ago shortly after I finished my writing program at SFU. I am very proud of my effort, but I also understand that a serious professional evaluation and editing process needs to take place before I can even consider having it published. My wife (who is always there for me), put me onto a firm that can help further me along in this regard.

As acting has become a bit of a non-starter (Covid issues), and even though I still work with my music partner once a week, which will be coming to a standstill during my rehabilitation (it’s not as though there are any venues to perform at anyway), why not do something that requires very little moving around. Genius, right?

I also thought this might be a good time as well to say thank you to those of you that have taken the time out of your busy schedules to read my blog on a weekly basis. I hope you have found them interesting and on the side of not taking myself too seriously. I may still post periodically with the intention of returning to a weekly column, but who the hell can know for sure.

I have to say here though that technology is changing so rapidly that it would seem blogging has become more and more Flinstonian (I think I just invented a new word, and I bet you knew exactly what I meant), so I may be induced into exploring other methods of social interaction.

Creativity is a learning curve that never stops curving. Not unlike walking a mountainous terrain, finally reaching the peak only to espy a hundred more on the horizon. It’s challenging, a little unnerving and requires an immense amount of patience (which can be my kryptonite), but I have to credit my two boys, however, with continually pushing me to new thresholds in this regard.

If there is one thing that I have learned over time, however, is that you have to put the work in if you ever expect to get anything back in return, and you have to believe in yourself. As Warren Buffet would submit, “The best investment one can make is an investment in oneself.” Kind of hard to argue with the Oracle of Omaha, wouldn’t you say? Cheers, for now.

Until next time.