“The Trouble is, You Think You Have Time”

Ever since I read the quote that appears as the title of this blog post, I have been challenged by it to remember that tomorrow–let alone the next hour–isn’t guaranteed to me.

 

Especially since my close call at the end of April, when I ended up with a deep vein thrombosis from knee to ankle in one leg and multiple “ornaments” (pulmonary embolisms) in both lungs and found myself gasping for breath with slight exertion, the quote has returned to haunt me on countless occasions.

 

I’m 65 and a half. The average life span of a woman born in 1951 is 78… a man’s in 76.  So, if I go by actuarial tables, I have  from nine to eleven years left.  And at the rate the years are whizzing by, that’s practically the day after tomorrow. (And, again, even that may be wishful thinking because tomorrow isn’t promised–just suggested, just anticipated, just hoped for!)

 

So this morning I’m putting the final touches on my Womb Man manuscript so I can get it out early in 2017. Or someone can if I croak before then.  (See how that quote is affecting me this morning? I’m taking it very seriously; as seriously as a hearse!)

 

And Lisa has talked me into starting a new blog–yes, yet another blog–about my gazillions of interactions with, and insights into, the animal kingdom. I’ve already written two book about animals–LET NO DAY DAWN THAT THE ANIMALS CANNOT SHARE and SERVAL SON–but they just scratch the surface when it comes to the uncounted number of stories and insights I’ve gleaned as a life-long animal lover.

 

How it happened…

 

Yesterday on the way to and from Yelm to share Edward Smith’s birthday with him for a couple of hours, I was apparently regaling Lisa with story after story of animals I have known or read about and she said, in essence (but much kinder than I’m paraphrasing here) “Okay, this is insane. Why don’t you start a blog about animals? A million people would love it and we could monetize the hell out of it.”

 

Monetize? Monetize?  

 

I thought, hey, I’d love to make more money writing. But how would we go about monetizing a blog about animal stories?

 

It’s so great having a social media/marketing maven as a best friend forever. It truly is.

 

So I said, “Tell me more.”

 

She calmly explained,  “You can monetize anything. Especially animals. Most people love animals! You affiliate with Amazon and other authors who write great books about animals. You affiliate with pet stores and pet supply companies. You…”

 

…and on and on she went.

 

I can’t even imagine having more fun than plumbing the recesses of my mind for the literally hundreds of animal stories I have on board already–stories I’ve told to individuals, one to one, but have never thought to bring to my readers.  And the best blog posts can become another book in a year or so…

 

…if I live that long.

 

Do you see how “The trouble is…you think you have time” has lit a fire underneath me? It reminds me that I still have a mountain of stuff to share before I’m shoveled off this mortal coil, and it’s going to take time to put it all down. So much is still trapped inside me! It will die with me if I don’t put it out there!

 

I want to die EMPTY, having shared everything I’ve learned, loved and done that can put a smile on a face, a sigh into lungs, or a heart into beating with renewed hope or affection!

 

November is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month to the uninitiated). I’m going Rebel this year and dedicating the month to getting a bunch of animal stories down on paper, in blog-sized chunks, so I can roll it out to you in the new year, or maybe a little sooner.

 

How many of you are INTERESTED?  Let me know in the comments below and on Facebook!

 

How many of you are going to put “The Trouble is…you think you have time…” on your wall so you keep firmly in mind that “time is short and the water rises.” What have you left unsaid, unwritten or undone that you want to say, write or do before your ability to do so is gone forever?  Make that list and start today!