For Those About to Rock (It), We Salute You!

We need to talk.

Maybe you should sit down.

Comfortable?  Good…

You see, the truth is…well…I’ve been deceiving you.

Wait, before you say anything…let me finish.

I’m not what you think I am.  You see me every day.  We laugh, we cry, we think.  You’re totally in love with my beautifully handsome, manly awesomeness.  But that really isn’t me.  You see…

I’m a dork.

I have been a dork my whole life.  Some of my earliest recollections involve Star Wars action figures and Thundercats cartoons.  I’ve probably seen every episode of Gilligan’s Island, The Brady Bunch and even Little House on the Prairie.

Sure, some of the cool kids may have done that too.  Maybe.  But after a while they stopped.  I didn’t.  I spent a lot of time indoors making forts and strange worlds out of Legos.  I was pale for a very long time.

As I got older, it didn’t get any better.  Sure, I changed a little.  Started playing sports.  But I was a daydreamer.  I was sneaking comic books between the pages of the Sports Illustrated in my backpack.  I’d watch the basketball games with my friends and then race home to catch reruns of Lost in Space or Star Trek.   On Saturday’s they’d play Doc Savage: Man of Bronze, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea or Warlords of Atlantis.  I’d sit on the couch at home and watch, but really I was a world away.

Don’t get me started on Dungeons & Dragons…

I know I should have stopped.  I tried, I really did.  I was good for a while, but then I started up again.  I was older, things had been going well.  I thought maybe I could control it.  But I know now I can’t.

That’s when I started to hide it from you.  Late at night sometimes, after all the cool shows were over and I’d finished tweeting about them, I’d sneak over to public programming hoping for a fix.  Sometimes I’d get lucky.  It was easy at first.

But now…now it’s becoming more difficult.  Temptation is everywhere.

I’ve thought a lot about it.  At first I denied it, telling myself it wasn’t true.  I tried to convince myself it wasn’t true.  But it is.  It is true.  I am a dork.  I realize that now.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.  I’m a serious writer!  I’m an adult.  I have a house and responsibilities.  I have grown children of my own.  It shouldn’t be this way, but it is.  I should have seen the signs.  They were there.  The rolling eyes.  The deep sighs.  The exasperation and calls of “awww, man…”  The shooting glances in the market when Wham! poured from the speakers and I’d do the “Jitterbug”.  I didn’t get it at first.  And then this week it hit me.

A hero of mine passed away.  We didn’t know each other, but he had a story he once told me.  About monsters and wild things.  It had been a long time, but I remembered.  I remembered fondly.  He was part of a group of heroes that I’ve had since my dorkness first cracked the cocoon and emerged so wonderfully weird.  My favorite authors are children’s authors. 

I can’t keep it from you any longer.

I was supposed to have literary heroes named Hemingway, Tolstoy or London.  My work was supposed to be cutting edge, avant garde, revolutionary.  I was supposed to mingle among the Pulitzers and the Nobels and be lauded by the Times.  My work was to be existential…

Instead, my work rhymes.

It rhymes because I like it that way.  My work rhymes because it’s funny and it reminds me of being a kid.  It reminds me of dancing and laughing and playing.  It takes me back to the days when spinning around in circles in the yard was something to do.  The days when cool and rad were still part of my every day vernacular.  My poems try to recapture the days of R2D2 t-shirts and Saturday morning cartoons.  My work takes a look back to the whimsical weirdness of Pippi Longstocking reruns and Tom Hatten drawing amazing things from a “squiggle”.

Sure, you see my amazingly beautiful, handsome awesomeness and it’s tough to wonder where it all went wrong.  I’m not as pale anymore.  I boogie when you’re not around.  You missed the signs too.

But…since I’m being honest.  I like being a dork.  I’m comfortable.  I’m happy.  I don’t care that people point and laugh.  I don’t care that I missed Black Swan in the theater because I stayed home to watch that Firefly marathon on Syfy Network.

Again…

And my work is going to continue to rhyme.  For all the other dorks out there.  For me.  For Shel…

I may even go to a ComicCon.  And  dress up like Iron Man.  My next birthday party?  You know, my 40^th birthday?  I’m thinking maybe a Justice League of America cake…or BATMAN!!  I’m seriously considering changing my Facebook status right now.  Look for the newsfeed that says “Greg Morton has updated his work to DORK.”  And I’m going to be happy doing it.

But you know what?  You know what would make me really happy?  If you went to ComicCon too.  Maybe dressed up.  It’d be fun.  We could sit outside at the bus stop in our costumes and laugh at all the cool people walking by.

We could get others, too.  Maybe a few of the others that are afraid of coming out and announcing to the world they’re dorks.  The ones who’ve felt a little shame.  Together we could tell them it’s alright.  They ARE dorks, but that it’s cool with us.  They can rock their dork anytime, because we think being a dork is amazingly beautiful, dorky awesomeness.

Whattaya say?

I Think That I’ll Stay Young Today

I think that I’ll stay young today

I’m thirty nine, is that okay?

I can still laugh and jump and run

I am just having way too much fun

I’ll join the good Doctor, Maurice and Shel

And whip up a whimsical, wonderful spell

I’ll conjure up silly words that will rhyme

And remember an even more magical time

I’ll continue to frolic and gaze at the stars

In this land full of misfits, where the wild things are…

(for Maurice)

Poem Copyright (c) 2012 Greg Morton ~ All Rights Reserved

All We Have to Do is Decide What to Do with the Time That is Given to Us

I wrote a post last week to celebrate the relationships I’ve made online.  To champion the type of interaction I think is productive, and to really call attention to those I feel embody that spirit of interaction.  The response I got from my readers was incredible.  The response I got from those I mentioned was heartfelt and moving.  I was getting the gifts of fellowship and conversation all weekend.

In reflecting today, it made me think of Christmas time.  All personal religious thoughts aside, I love the holiday season for one main reason.  Fellowship.

And food.

Ok, so I love the holiday season for two reasons…

In my circle of family and friends, we begin celebrating on Halloween, then a number of birthdays in November, then Thanksgiving, and then Christmas and of course…New Years.  For me, this is the holiday season.  But forget about Jingle Bells Muzak, Secret Santas or Black Friday.  For me it is two months of getting together with the ones I love the most and celebrating our lives together.  And we tend to gather around food, which further strengthens the bond of our relationships.

Each year around the holidays I write a family newsletter, as I’m sure countless other families do.  It is a way for my house to update the ones we love but don’t see regularly, and it is a way to show our deepest love and appreciation for all who receive it.

A few years ago my wife and I sent a dollar bill with each letter.  After the summary of our lives during the year, I added a challenge to everyone.  I didn’t impose rules, but I did challenge everyone to find a creative use for a dollar.  In addition, I had created a blog for all to share their uses of the dollar.

Mine was not an original idea.  I’d actually seen something online outlining different uses for a dollar.  But my intention was two-fold.  First, I wanted to challenge the Christmas spirit.  I included this into the letter.  My goal was to have people spend the first dollar I gave in December.  I challenged them to be creative and if they wished, to be charitable.  The bigger challenge was for my friends and family to spend a dollar of their own for each month, and report back to the blog their use of the money.  Twelve dollars total, to spread Christmas cheer throughout the year.

Second, my goal was to encourage the interaction.  I wanted to learn more about the people in my life.  The ones that I update year after year with news of the happenings in my home.  The people I share my life with, whether I see them daily or haven’t seen them in years.  Though I know many of them intimately and we have close bonds, I wanted to know more about them creatively.  For me, the learning is fun and meaningful.

If memory serves we sent nearly $90.00 out into the world to be spent in a creative way.  Unfortunately, we only received less than twenty responses on the blog for the original dollar.  Those participants were AWESOME, and they kept up the challenge for the first few months, but then the challenge waned altogether.  I remain disappointed, but not surprised.  Perplexed maybe…

Still for me, the greatest gifts are fellowship.  The interaction with others.  If I want material things, I’ll save the money to buy them.  I’ll earn them through my work.  The gift I want is time.  Time to spend with people who encourage my dreams, make me laugh, teach me something new and challenge me to be a better person.  That is the greatest gift I’ve ever received, and I’m selfish for more.

Well….and food.

So today I’m adding a page for the dollar challenge, to encourage a creative spirit and to see what happens.   Participation is entirely up to you.

I hope you have an amazing Monday, the start of a rich and fulfilling week…

Cheers!

Greg

Calvin, One of These Days Your Face is Going to Freeze Like That

I’ve realized today I may be suffering some separation anxiety.  I’ve been working a lot.  The project I’m working on has some light moments, but is mostly reflective in nature.  It’s motivational, a personal look at the lessons I’ve learned through the experiences I’ve had.

In looking back at the posts I’ve been putting up lately, I realize it is all pretty message heavy as well.  I love it, but this morning I woke up and wanted something a little different.  And I was trying really hard to conjure up a witty anecdote that I could use to fill the page with laughter.  I must say it has been difficult.

And then inspiration struck as I was looking in the mirror, scrubbing the pearly whites.

When all else fails, enlist the help of a child and his pet tiger.

My long lost brother…

 

I hope you all have a fantastic and fun weekend…

 

 

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

I’ve got to be honest with you, I’m not always that great about reading other people’s blogs.  I’ve read the blog-o-sphere pundits tell me how I need to read more and comment more to drive more traffic to my site…blah, blah, blah.  I get it.  But if I’m still being honest, there is A LOT of crap out there.  Hey, maybe I’m part of that.  I can accept that on some level, I guess.  Maybe someone can write a post about my garbage.  But my purpose of this post isn’t to ridicule or criticize others.

In fact, just the opposite.  I find myself more and more interested in the conversations with the authors.  I’ll find a site or two that I really do like, that the posts aren’t EPIC novellas and that I can get through a few in between writing my own stuff.  I’ll comment, I’ll engage.  I won’t just write “Hey, nice post” or something of that nature, like a flashing neon sign that says “PLEASE COME VISIT MY SITE AND PAD MY NUMBERS.” I want to learn. 

I often get the customary “thank you” response.  It’s okay, I understand.  This writing gig is tough work.  Busy, busy, busy.  It’s tough to respond to a number of comments when you are trying to be creative and produce content.  And if you are lucky enough to get Freshly Pressed?  Forget about it!  I would dedicate a full day just to respond to the comments.  You’d have to.  I’ve seen the numbers.

I understand.

So it makes it that much more special to me when I get a conversation from a fellow writer.  A dialogue.  Something that makes me think.  Something that makes me compelled to go beyond a single sentence and tell a perfect stranger a story.  My story.  Something personal about me.  When someone responds to my comments or comes to my site and engages me, I’m excited for the opportunity to begin a new relationship.

So I’ve decided to call a few people out today.  A few perfect strangers that are fast becoming a very important part of my life.  They are becoming my circle of friends that I see here in this web of life.  As this first friend put it, this “artist’s group” that I’ve managed to earn membership into.  So let me get started with the introductions;

The Wasteland Here – http://wastelandhere.com/

William Ricci inspired me to write this post.  He is an amazingly deep thinker, an artist, a poet, a friend.  He is also a fellow outdoorsman.  His posts are stark and real and very personal.  His poems have made me stretch beyond my comfort zone when writing my own, to explore deeper ideas and meaning.  Without knowing it, he has challenged me to be better.  He is incredibly supportive as well.  We don’t chat often, but when we do it has value.

The Regina Chronicles 366 – http://imagesbyregina.wordpress.com/

Gina is my friend.  I’ve never met her in person, but we chat a lot.  She is much better about visiting my site than I am about visiting hers, but thankfully she hasn’t gotten mad at me about that just yet.  She is a photographer, and her images never fail to spark the imagination.  She has an incredible perspective, in the picture and more.  Gina is one of the reasons that I look forward to clicking that “Publish” button with each post.  I know without a doubt that she is going to read it, and that she is going to offer the start of a wonderful conversation.  Please visit her site and get lost in her pictures, you’ll be glad you did.

Writing on the Rim – http://writingontherim.wordpress.com/

Juliana is another friend of mine that I’ve never met.  Her site offers some amazing recipes (including a Recipe for Life).  Juliana’s comments always go above and beyond a mere “Thanks”, and I am always delighted to see her profile show up on one of my posts.  Check out her site (and maybe steal one or two of her recipes).  Oh…and she wrote an amazing piece on writer’s block.  Check it out!

Resurrected Writer – http://resurrectedwriter.wordpress.com/

I just met Jaser75.  We haven’t had a lot of conversations, but I wanted to include him on this list for one very simple reason.  He recently added a post to his blog asking writers questions about their writing process.  In reading through the responses, I saw that Jaser75 didn’t just say “Thanks for your ideas”, he actually responded to each one with thoughts of his own.  That takes time.  It takes time and effort to have a conversation with people through media.  He asked questions, got responses, and then challenged some of those responses for deeper meaning.  I respect that.  As the name implies, he’s restarting his life as a writer.  I’m very interested in seeing the progress…

Calliope’s Tablet – http://desertmusepublishing.wordpress.com/

I just met Ann as well, but feel she may just be my virtual sister separated at birth.  I mean, let’s take a look at it.  She’s a writer, I’m a writer.  She’s a parent, I’m a parent.  She’s a Cubs fan, I’m a Cubs fan!  Oh, and she has an amazing sense of humor and features some incredible photography on her site.  And though I just met her, I see that I’ll be spending a lot of time reading her work.  But the real reason she’s on this list (besides being a lover of baseball.  Did I mention she’s a Cubs fan?) is that Ann reached out and started a conversation.  She told me a story.  I told her a story.  We’ve gotten to know each other.  And I’m looking forward to more.

By no means is this list complete.  The last thing I want to do is alienate the absolutely wonderful people that visit.  I have a huge circle of amazing ladies in my Facebook/Twitter community that are regulars here as well…My SMK Posse.  Many of them are talented writers themselves.  More times than not they are the highlight of my working day.

This list is just an example of what I’m drawn to; the online relationships I’m interested in.  Sure, you may have yawned once or twice during this post.  You may say it’s indulgent.  Maybe.

But reach out and visit some of these sites.  Start making the world a little smaller and make a friend across the state, the country or the world.  If only for a few minutes.  A few minutes out of the day may not change your life dramatically.

Then again, maybe it will…

When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It

“A great teammate”

Mickey Mantle, when asked what he wanted written on his tombstone. 

To be honest, I didn’t have a plan for this post.  But I knew I wanted to talk about Mickey Mantle.  An online friend and I had been talking baseball recently…Washington Nationals baseball to be exact.  A hot, young prospect made his major league debut on Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  You may have heard of him…Bryce Harper.  He has said his favorite player of all time is Mickey Mantle.

This kid is no Mickey Mantle.

Not that he has to be, mind you, but if he idolizes The Mick he could sure do right by himself by learning to be more like him.  What bothers me about Harper is his arrogance.  I don’t know him, so in fairness I don’t know anything about him.  But he presents himself with an arrogance that is off-putting.  He says arrogant things in the press.  He carries himself with an air of superiority.

That wasn’t Mickey Mantle.

Make no mistake, Mickey wasn’t perfect.  He was a hard drinking man throughout most of his career.  He was unfaithful in his relationship with his wife.  He struggled being a good father.  In short, he was human.  Just like Harper.

But Mickey was a humble man.  And more than that, he had respect for the game.  He had respect for the fans and he had respect most of all for his teammates.  He never once took the game for granted.  In fact, he was given a second chance he didn’t think he had deserved.

At nineteen, the same age as Harper, Mickey struggled with the Yankees, and they sent him to Kansas to their minor league team to work on his skills.  The demotion shattered him emotionally.  He called his father, and in his mind, he had given up.  He had quit.  Mickey Mantle didn’t think he was good enough to play the game.

His father convinced him otherwise.  Mickey went to the minor league team, put in the work he needed to improve and was promoted again that same year.  The rest, as they say, is Hall of Fame history.

For me, Mickey’s life has many lessons to be learned.  Both his personal and professional life.  But the one thing that has always stuck with me is the lesson of humility.  Though he wasn’t perfect, he was likable.  Lovable, in fact, to legions of fans around New York and beyond.  When I read about Mickey, I sympathize with his struggles.  And maybe it’s a little easier to forgive his shortcomings because he was likable.  How can you begrudge a man who always wanted to be a part of a team?  Never to be singled out.  Never to be fawned over or put on a pedestal.

But I guess in today’s modern world we need someone to root against as much as we need someone to root for.  I guess baseball has become a soap opera, in need of a villain.  It seems there are guys willing to play the part.  I’ll love the game for the many guys who are willing to still be the heroes.  The humble guys that respect the fans and their teammates and remember that baseball is still just a game.   And games are supposed to be fun.  For everyone.

I hope for all his hopes and dreams and desires that Harper’s attitude is simply youthful arrogance, and a healthy dose of reality will teach him that raw talent will only take him so far.  At nineteen, he potentially has a long career ahead of him.  I imagine it would be a difficult road if everyone hated you all the time.  Maybe someday we can talk about the lessons he could teach the next generation…

Advice to the young kids, courtesy of Mickey’s long time teammate Yogi Berra;

“Baseball is 90% mental – the other half is physical.”

“You can observe a lot by watchin’”

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it!”

“If you can’t imitate him, don’t copy him.”

“It ain’t over till it’s over”

When All You Really Want Is Only What You Really Need

I’ve had a lot of “perfect days”.  At home, at work, on vacation.  With friends and alone.  It has always been a matter of living in the moment.  Yesterday was one of those days.  Not a moment missed.  Each passing tick of the clock was savored and enjoyed.

We spent most of the day in Pasadena on a walking tour of early 20^th Century Craftsman Bungalows, joined by our neighbors.  We worked up quite an appetite, and followed up the tour with a cool, relaxing and very refreshing lunch in a local bistro.

The late afternoon my wife and I spent together working on projects she wants to begin.  Her excitement and enthusiasm remain infectious.  Our work to achieve some very simple goals carried us into the evening.  We even managed to watch a little of a baseball game on television.

It was a simple day.  Perfect for being outside and perfect for being with the ones you love most.  Very reminiscent of life in the early 20^th Century when plumbers and accountants were coming out to California to build quaint little homes, complete with a large porch so they could visit with their neighbors.

As I drink my Monday Morning Coffee, I’m going to try and carry that simplicity into my week.  Still lots to do.  In fact, maybe even a little more, now that I’m filled with the inspiration and motivation of a happy, simple life.

I hope everyone has a fantastic week…