poolside hustle and heartache in Miami…

Carol spoke of

her recent real estate commissions

on multi-million dollar properties

karma

yoga

great sex

and what is happiness?

next on to pro golf…son on the PGA?

then

big houses, exotic travel, horses, tennis, and parties

the perils of managing a huge staff

and eventually

escaping spousal abuse in Mexico

she said she had 42 drinks

then laughed

as the sun lowered over Biscayne Bay

and the palm-treed

high-rised

Miami skyline

Roxy

Carol’s best friend in the whole wide world

joined us briefly

kissed me on both cheeks

and bought us a round

she was 6’4”

bikini-clad

& impressively tattooed

her mother’s first communion image

Dolly Parton in the 70s

in cursive on her ribs

Miss Kleo

a cat she adored

sadly no more

Roxy’s boyfriend

in town from Toronto

had golden hair

and kept to himself

Wayne, once a DC chef

now hustling

restaurant supplies

his own lifestyle brand

and a starving artist friend’s paintings

unlike galleries

he would only take 20%

his million-dollar smile

and easy poolside ways

must make sales a breeze

he found us later

bearing gifts of stickers from his brand

& the Instagram handle of his artist friend

sunburnt

& a little tipsy

I checked out her art

wondering

how can I promote her work as well?

Wayne’s hustle was just that good

SOURCES:

12 staggeringly helpful words…

ZOOM IN and OBSESS.

ZOOM OUT and OBSERVE.

We get to choose.

—Rick Rubin (music producer/author) The Creative Act: A Way of Being

ZOOMING IN: Things seem to be falling apart in so many destructive and senseless ways now. When I zoom in on that world-weariness it zaps my energy and I scan for validation about why I feel this way. This makes me respond with judgment, criticism, anxiety, and fear.

ZOOMING OUT: The world is filled with people who are empathetic, compassionate, innovative, generous, and kind. Those stories do not make BREAKING NEWS.

Just imagine all day long learning about heroic acts of GENEROSITY, SELF-SACRIFICE, CREATIVITY, & LOVE.

ZOOMING IN: Focusing, ruminating, and commenting on other people’s words, behaviors, and choices

.

ZOOMING OUT: I’m only in charge of my thoughts, words, choices, and actions. I cannot force others to think, speak, choose, or act as I do. When I catch myself thinking about what others should be doing—I need to ZOOM OUT and gain more perspective.

“Creativity is not a rare ability. It is not difficult to access. Creativity is a fundamental aspect of being human. It’s our birthright. And it’s for all of us.”

—Rick Rubin


Special Thanks: To my husband, Jeff for finding and downloading Rick Rubin’s book. Rick Rubin, listening to The Creative Act has been quite an education. Thank you.

Link to Audible sample: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Creative-Act-Audiobook/B0B3L2T9W5?psafe_param=1&source_code=GO1GB547041122911G&gclid=CjwKCAjw_YShBhAiEiwAMomsEBNC7t8wJQncDOxqj3xHKzJQ9mfDTPf8lToLx6b4_6OPrFG4fMH7txoCkk0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds