With friends like these ........

So I was having one of those days when the creative juices refused to flow. There are things that I want to write about, but some are just ideas with no filling and some will take some actual work so that I don't offend too many people (because that is such a high priority of mine - wish I could convey sarcasm easily in text but that Clippy help thingy is useless when you really need him/her/it). So I was going to either re-post an old blog or not do anything when an electronic letter (I believe the young people call it email) was delivered. And here it is without editing or embellishment:

Somedays   

There are days when things are not headed in the right direction, I find myself saying James Fing Roberts. Then suddenly things begin to feel better.

Go ahead say it, does make you feel better, right?

Now this particular email was sent by the CFO of a pretty decent sized company and I definitely won't mention his name (Brian), and it got me thinking about, well, me and what the hell I am doing writing this blog. This whole thing started off as a bit of a laugh as my talented actor friend Mike the Cop (or Jonno - my brother - as he likes to be known ) was writing a blog for a show he was doing in San Diego. I thought if that kid can write stuff then why the hell can't I? Admittedly his blog served a purpose whereas mine just serves to save costs on therapy, but you know, potato potato. We got the T shirts (and Golf Shirts) done as a laugh and I came across the line 'They may be drinkers but they are still human beings' from the original Adam West Batman movie (still the best Batman ever) that worked perfectly with the logo that Sledge designed and a thing, a movement, an excuse to leave work early on Fridays was born. Now Poets Day has not become so much the call to action (or inaction as the case may be) as I might like it to be but it has an, albeit limited, following. I have had people come up to me saying they love the blogs and some say that they are surprised I am the writer (T.R) so I guess it is doing something.

Work hard, play hard is the kiwi way of life (not the bird or the fruit - well I cannot speak for the bird as such and I doubt the fruit can do either) and it works perfectly into the Poets Day mantra. Don't sweat the shit you cannot control - probably put better in the Serenity Prayer - is something I have learned over time to help control myself as well as I can. Sure sometimes I can get a bit pissed off at ineptitude but if I cannot control or fix it then why get all bent out of shape. Life is too short to spend your entire time angry at people, and you tend to miss out on all the fun. I was chatting to a buddy the other day concerned about his position at work and job security and even though the things he was worried about were out of his control he was stressing out quite a bit. I told him not to sweat it, just keep doing the great job he was doing, gave him some logical pointers about what was really needed and hopefully he is feeling better about work now. The pressure he was putting on himself for factors that he had no control over were affecting him, but when you don't sweat the shit you cannot control then you tend to have a better outlook on life.

So what does any of this have to do with a message from a friend ?

Well I am not actually sure what it has to do with anything but I wanted to put a shout out to the people who actually know me, like me (for all my bullshit and stupidity) and who are my friends. There are times when life can be a real kick to the kiwis (the fruit in this case - I mean who wants to kick a nocturnal flightless bird, unless it is to get her out of your bed). As stupid and immature as this may all seem to some people I do live the Poets Day life and people are always welcome to pop over for a beer and a chat on Fridays. I used to convene at a local drinking hole but now you will most likely find me sitting outside at home with a cold green bottle in my hand. It might just be me, me and the neighbor (who is building a pathway between our houses and calling it Roberts Way), me and The English Major or maybe Ken and Barbie will turn up. Quite often I am on the phone to the 60s Blazer wearer, maybe to  Joel the beer drinker or using VIP Communications (gratuitous product plug) to call Poppa Jeff or Granny Raz back in Godzone.

No matter what shit rains down I remain James Fing Roberts (thanks Rosie - although from my understanding when you said it the 'uck' was not omitted). I love the person that I have become, I accept the flaws that I have, I acknowledge many of the issues I have both physically and mentally but no matter what I always know it could be worse. As much as sometimes life might kick you in the kiwis or punch you in the tatas it is much better than the other option. I am not sure if Brian was thinking in his email that no matter how bad shit looks as least he is not James Fing Roberts, but I like to think that just those 3 words put a smile on his dial and reminded him of a fun night that a group of us had in Hawaii just over a year ago when I told the story that gave me the name. If these blogs sometimes seem relevant to the reader, or if these blogs put a smile on a readers face or if these blogs make someone delete the email/book of faces post that lead them here then they have done their job.

As usual no animals were harmed in the writing of this blog (as I had lunch before I started writing it) and any resemblance to an actual factual, useful, interesting piece of writing is purely accidental. If you think writing this drivel every week is easily then start writing one yourself Mr Case (and when are you popping down for the weekend) and any topical jokes or internal references are there purely because, well, I find them amusing and this blog (as I have said many times before) is not about you :)

So work hard, play hard and earn your inspiration. If shouting out James Fing Roberts helps you, then shout it to the heavens :)

Happy Poets Day