Tuesday, December 16, 2014

A Heart-to-Heart with the Jolly Old Elf



Ho Ho Ho! Well hello, little boy. What can Santa Claus do for you this Christmas?

I’m not so sure that you have what I need in that bag of yours, sir.

Now, now, son. You’d be surprised by what Saint Nick has in his sack. Have you been good this year?

Good is a bit of a sliding scale, don’t you think? Do you mean Mother Teresa good, or Mae West good?

An excellent point, young man. How about I just check my list. Let’s see. Naughty or nice... naughty or nice... Ah, here you are. Oh. Ummm. Will you promise to be just a little bit nicer next year?

Yes sir. Absolutely. Done. You have my word.

Well, okay. We'll let you go with nice, this time. What is it that you’d like Santa to bring?

Santa, what I really want is my writing Mojo back.

Your writing Mojo? Mojo’s a very big item, you know. How about a nice camera instead?

Sorry, sir, but I just bought one.

A shiny new fly rod then?

Got a closet full, but thanks for the thought.

Some waders?

I’m good.

Let’s see. How about World Peace?

Asked for that last year. Remember?

Yeah. Sorry about that, kid. Father Christmas had a tough year.

Tell me about it.

So. You want your writing Mojo, you say?

Yes, sir. It’s all gone to shit lately. (Oops. Sorry, sir.) I haven’t been proud of anything I’ve written for months and I’m disappointed that so little has found its way to the page. My blog has been terribly neglected and I’m really struggling to keep it interesting. I need my Mojo.

I hate to tell you this, son, but Mojo doesn't work that way. It’s not a thing someone can give you. It’s something that you already have and simply needs to be tapped into. That’s easy to say, I’m afraid, but not always easy to do. It’s a lot like flying reindeer. Most of the time they just hang around the barn, eating hay and playing games. But every now and then, when the moment’s right, for no discernable reason, inspiration strikes and they float into the rafters. That’s Mojo. It’s a gift, there’s no doubt, but not a gift that can be easily given. I’m sorry.

I understand. I knew it was a tall order. I just hoped, you know, for my readers…

I know. I wish it were possible. How about something else? Anything. Just name it.

Well, how about a leadership that will acknowledge that man-made climate change is real and start to do something about it, that can quantify the value of our public lands and wilderness areas in something other than dollars and cents, and whose members will start to think like individuals rather than mindless party shills. One that will do something for the people of this nation, all of them, and not just for its anthropomorphized corporations. A leadership that actually works.


So, young man, do you want to write poetry or prose?

17 comments:

MacLoosh said...

Your mojo is clearly intact. Have a wonderful holiday season sir!

CathyB said...

I second that mojo assessment, Mike. Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Unknown said...

I'm going to jump on the bandwagon here and agree with MacLoosh and CathyB. Always a pleasure to read.

Ken G said...

Thanks for writing this for me. Have had a similar thing about writing stuck in my head along with the 30 or so other things I started to write, but never got around to finishing.

This was a tough year for that, not sure why.

When all else fails Mike, wander around and take pictures. The good ones don't need words and the bad ones will make a funny post some day.

I'm heeding my own advice on that one. I did notice I'm running out of disk space. Brain space, disk space, same thing.

Roger said...

I could not agree with you more about the administration and the environment, you summed it up very nicely.

Merry Christmas

Unknown said...

Haha, I'm not going to say you shouldn't be proud of what I've been seeing on this blog lately, but this was most excellent. That last paragraph and line sums my frusterations from the last year up perfectly.

Happy Holidays, Mike.

Mel said...

Certainly plenty entertaining enough writing right there, my friend. Plus, it makes people think a little about this blogging stuff and how everyday events can effect a truly gifted blogging mind. Plus, if you can entertain a Geezer, you ain't all bad.................

Mike Sepelak said...

Thank you Mac, Cathy and William. You are too kind. I hope Santa comes through so that I can validate your confidence in me. Happy holidays back at ya, my friends!

Ken, sorry to hear you're in the same boat. Maybe Santa can help you out too. And taking pictures is a wonderful approach.More often than not, a photo's the spark for the piece that I write. Without that link, I'd have given up long ago.

Rogar and Dan, what amazes me is that we're all frustrated along those lines, but continue to put the wrong folks place where it matters. Oh, don't get me started. It's Christmas. Cheers!

And Mel, entertaining Geezers is easy. All you need is one good story that you can tell them over and over again. They don't remember that they've heard it before. ;-)

Unknown said...

Clearly we have different definitions of mojo Mike. You haven't lost it, it was right in front of your eyes. Merry Christmas!

Mike Sepelak said...

It is certainly true, Howard, that my definitions often stray from those of others. Let's just leave it at that. Merry Christmas to you too, buddy, and may next year be a heck of a lot less interesting for all of us.

Steve Zakur said...

Brilliant.

Mike C.W. said...

I did, as they say, laugh out loud! Well done. Merry merry my friend.

Mike Sepelak said...

Thanks Steve!

And I hope that your outburst was in a wildly inappropriate place, Michael. Merrymerry to you as well!

Unknown said...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays...
JP (-:

Mike Sepelak said...

And to you as well, JP! The merriest of Christmas, mon bon ami.

Unknown said...

I've learned that when you stop worrying about what others will think of your writing, the mojo tends to reappear on its own. You don't need us followers for validation, this post alone shows that your mojo has never left you :) Hope you are having a great new year.

Mike Sepelak said...

I think you are absolutely correct, Elizabeth, in suggesting that worrying about acceptance is a buzzkill. It's time to just let it flow. I appreciate the encouragement.

And the year's off to a relaxed, but pleasant, start. That works just fine for me after the craziness of the holidays. Hope yours is rolling the right way as well.

Thanks for stopping by and saying hello!