“Here Comes the Comeback.”

​The late, great Thomas McComb had a favorite saying whenever one was faced with either a decision, setback or a prolonged period of pity partying:

“You’re either on the bus, or off.”

It was Tom’s special way of saying, “fuck you, you want in or not?”

We all go through the same periods of trial, tribulation, self-doubt or whether it is just time to throw in the towel and let life carry you down the current to the Falls of Rauros (Tom would have appreciated the LOTR reference).

I’m going to have to agree with Tommy on this one. Creativity is not a merely a gift, talent or a blessing. It is a calling. Do I need to repeat that. You have a talent and it is up to you to do something useful with it. You simply don’t retire, walk away or quit. In order to achieve maximum benefit, you must nurture and practice it. And, at all costs, you never ever give up.

I have been writing for almost fifty years. The total amount of money I made from “my calling” would not fill up one reusable bag from Trader Joe’s. Needless to say, I insist on being paid only in large untraceable bills, but the fact remains the same; I write because it is what I do. There is nothing else I would rather do. It brings me joy and on rare occasions provides a bit of entertainment to others.

I am by no means a great writer either. There are thousands more with more talent than I will ever hope to have. My daughter, Pacia Marie Linde, is one of these. If you don’t believe me, check out her blog.

​However I do know this as a fact, I am much better than I was 50 years ago. And, occasionally I get to bat and I hit a solid line drive that gets me all the way to second base. I am still hoping that I am young enough to hit a triple or maybe even a home run. We’ll see.
 
But, I can tell you this much:
 
I am definitely “on the bus.”