Hubby and his Pep Talks

You know you have married a good man when he sits down and tells you that your office looks like a pig stye. Oy. That one hurt. This morning I am doing my best to get organized. He told me that I'd never get anything done working in such a mess. He also told me a lot of other things. Very serious heart to heart things. He supports me. Thank the good lord above otherwise he might have shot me by now. He supports the dream. He understands the dream. Has lived the dream.

Hubby understands the dedication and sacrifice needed to get what you want. However, he told me that I have no blinders. Let me explain.

Blinders being the eye patches horses wear so that they cannot see anything but the destination ahead of them. They don't get distracted. They never veer from the path, they just continue to plod along one hoof in front of the other until they get to the barn and those wonderful oats.

I have to be more like that horse. I know it and it gripes my ass that he is right. How bad do you want it Michelle? Bad enough that you don't spend four hours talking on the phone to your friends about what you want to do? Bad enough that you quit surfing the internet for hours at a time when you could be writing?

Hard words. Tough love. He's been there. He knows what it takes. Granted it wasn't in writing. But he accomplished some great things when people told him he couldn't do it. Number one he was told he didn't have the aptitude to get a college degree. That he would never make it. He did. The sheepskin from Wake Forest hangs above our fireplace as a reminder that all things are possible no matter the odds if you want to work hard enough for them. Did he struggle? Hell yeah he struggled. But you never tell hubby he can't do something because he's going to prove you wrong if it takes him a million years.

The second great accomplishment he had was in sports. He's a great athlete. However, he wasn't just great. He was the starting punter for Wake Forest. He still holds the record at Wake for the longest punt at the school. A whopping 72 yard punt against Duke. His last two years at Wake he was one of the two best punters in the nation. Yeah, that's a big accomplishment. He made 1st string All ACC and All American honorable mention. He made it to a tier of excellence that some never see but would give their right arm for. So I guess he knows what he's talking about.

It was very humbling for me. You see he never talks about sports. He never brags. (I do all the bragging, however not much, and if he knew this was on my blog he'd probably make me take it down. But it means something to me.) He very rarely gets involved with my writing or what I want to do. But he told me that if I didn't put my blinders on that I'd never make it. He said. "It's easy to lose your focus and anything that makes you lose focus from the goal ahead has got to go. If you want to write, then Damnit Michelle write. Quit talking about it and do it."

Oy...that one smarted.

I'm on a lot of email groups. More than I should be. I end up deleting a lot of mail. Why? he says. Why even let it hit your email box? I had a hard time answering that one except the fact that I love my groups. They are fun. His comment? How much time do you spend there that you could be writing? Oy...ouch! I hate it when he's right.

So I'm getting focused today. I'm cleaning my office so he won't cuss anymore and I'm going to write today. My allotted word count. I did make my goals yesterday. Thank heavens. So I'm still on track but I could get a lot more done if I focus.

Sometimes it's good to have a quick kick in the pants.