Did your holidays sparkle with diamond dust snow? Or maybe you are reading this on a laptop under a palm tree, in which case I hope you had the balmiest of celebrations to the metronome of waves and the jingle bells of surf. May your mind have new rooms in the new year for the warm memories of the old.
Me, I kept the hearth fire burning Christmas Eve, and Christmas day sat around munching fried elves. Kidding. No elves fell down the chimney, and Santa came through the front door in the person of my boy-child, in whom I am well pleased. But for him, I would have hung out in the woods on skis for the whole thoughtful pause in the calendar, the way I did on Christmas and New Year's Eves. When you start developing an intense emotional relationship with your skis, it’s time to go home, however, so I came in from the cold. Could've done without the Adam Sandler movie at 9:55 AM Christmas morning, but hey, it was either go to the theater or cook dinner (pseudo turkey, a.k.a. chicken) that early.
Guess I should explain that I am writing this now before I am embalmed. Had a ski accident last night (Friday) and I suspect that a shoulder tendon was torn in half or maybe it's the rotator cuff, so come Monday I may be under the knife and thereafter my arm may be wrapped against my chest for six weeks. No big deal. Sounds worse than it is. About a year ago I felt a tendon in the other shoulder peel off the bone, and the sawbones gave me the option to leave it alone. He said my shoulder was unbelievably strong with two tendons left and I might never notice the loss, which is how it has turned out. This is a little different. It was probably 80% torn before the accident anyway, so I’ll be glad to have it sewn together. Was able to ski out of the woods, dragging a ski pole, but I’ve got to make it till Monday so I can call a surgeon and meantime get what I can out of the way. By the time you read this, it will all be settled, but I want to do this newsletter now so that I don't have to write it with one arm tied behind my back. And if I'm a little slow responding to anything in the next couple months, that's why. ATTN Bambi & Thumper: I've been skiing without poles all winter anyway, so I'll be out there...
My column this month is about living your dreams -- romantic idealism come to life. Here's the link to WRITING NAKED on Storytellers Unplugged: http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/thomas-sullivan-writing-naked#respond . And the photos below span the gamut from Christmas morning to a great sledding outing with Norby Nation -- the poster family that has adopted me, bless their altruistic souls. The Dr. Foto selection this month captures the musical side of our lives. That’s the good doctor and his wife on the right (Karen & Mark Manrique), with brother Dennis and son Paul on the left. I think the guy in the middle is a Sully impersonator named Elvis.
Artists of any persuasion tend to be isolated, contrary to what you might think. So it's not unusual to find yourself trading works with another artist who understands that, but I was overwhelmed by an offer from well-known painter David McIntyre of Englewood, Florida to send me one of his original paintings in exchange for an autographed book. He is something of a scholar on the legendary Paul Gauguin, actually paints in that style, and in fact his work hangs in the houses of some of Gauguin's descendents. So I was thrilled to pick from his galleries and am eagerly awaiting FedEx’s delivery. I'm particularly fond of paintings of trees and so chose one from his third gallery. If you care to see his work, click this link: http://davidmcintyre.us/
Here's hoping you are finding the magic you need every day to be the total you. Inspiration need not be limited to what you can plug into a wall. Poetry and wisdom are all around you. And your heart, mind and soul are like three indispensable adventurers bound for the yellow brick road...
Thomas “Sully” Sullivan
www.thomassullivanauthor.com
