It's 9AM
If I had four hours to chop down a tree
I’d take three to sharpen the axe.
Abe Lincoln said it.
Or so they.
And Abe was as honest as any politician can be, so I suspect he knew what he was talking about.
If we give weight to anything that comes out of a politician’s mouth.
Maybe history and time have lent a little weight to these words though.
Because who doesn’t think “Be Prepared,” is good advice?
For what?
For anything.
For everything.
Take the subject at hand, devote time to learn it, then execute.
Good advice.
Timeless even.
And in sharpening the axe, or getting prepared for the action, time saving.
Who among us doesn’t want to save time.
Abe didn’t say it, but keeping the blade sharp is easier with routine application.
Habits.
The blade I am referring to is a sharp mind, though a sharp wit will do in a pinch.
A sharp wit is usually the result of a sharp mind, though sometimes a smart ass can get off a good one every now and then.
Though then and now I have been accused of being a smart ass, and I have to work hard to have a sharp wit, and would not be mistaken to have a sharp mind that often.
I have to work hard at all three.
A blue collar wordsmith.
It takes practice.
A practical approach of noticing and paying attention.
And making sure that once something works, to keep it in mind, and try not to wear it out.
To this end, I get good at something or good enough at something and get ready for the next thing.
I have been called a multi-passionate person by more than one person.
Which makes me like a lot of things and do a lot of things sort of well, but excel in none.
This is the bane of my discipline.
The hardest part of keeping the blade sharp.
And the difference between knowing it needs to be done and the doing, well, I call that the middle.
The middle is the hard work.
The middle is boring.
The middle is where we start to look at shortcuts.
Want to lose weight?
Eat beef for 90 days.
Nothing else.
The pounds will melt away.
But…
It is boring as hell.
Want to get stronger, no matter how old you feel?
Lift heavy weights.
Start with what you can and progress.
Don’t have to do yoga, or classes, or jazz that exercise up in any way but heavy lifting. Squat. Bench. Deadlift. Pull ups.
Boring.
But effective.
The same with writing a book.
Get jazzed to start, get the set up going, and slog right to the middle.
All the while sparkly brand new awesome incredible everybody wants to read ideas are coming left, right and down the middle like a methed up Nolan Ryan with a bucket of balls and no time to kill.
Sit your butt down and write the dang thing.
That keeps the blade sharp.
That’s effective time management.
And isn’t it funny how doing the boring stuff, day in and day out, with purpose and focus and intensity starts to push the “results” needle in the right direction?
Dang it.
I hate it when politicians are right.
Keep your blade sharp and ready.
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A Gnomes Story – an audiobook (brand new)
Did you hear these free?
Ware The Cats of War urban fantasy audiobook adventure
Beachhead a sci fi action adventure audiobook
The Dipole Shield a sci fi action adventure
All Jacked Up a sci fi comedy action adventure
Witch Blues - an urban fantasy adventure audiobook
AND
A story I am sharpening up now:
Cowboy Zombie CHAPTER ONE
The debate was simple.
Hide or keep going.
I had hunkered down before.
So had Brian.
It hadn’t worked out in either of our cases because when you try to build something good and safe, someone will come along and try to take it.
Survival of the fittest now.
Survival of the strongest.
“It’s a battle of attrition,” said Brian.
We sat beside a small fire that flickered behind a ring of stones. All gathered from the side of a creek that bubbled a couple hundred feet from where we camped.
“Keep going and we’re going to lose more,” he continued.
“Stay and someone comes to take us,” I reminded him.
Reminding him was something I did a lot of.
Just like he tried to keep reminding me.
Yin to my yang.
Barney to my Fred.
“I still like the wall of containers,” he said. “Fence off an acre or two, plant some food, build a pond for fish. No one could get in and we would be safe from the outside.”
“It’s a good idea,” I said.
“But.”
“Yes, but.”
I thought it was just an idea, like a dream, not a plan. We had tried it before.
Talked about it before.
“I think you’re just hungry,” I said.
He nodded. He was.
We all were.
“Texas is big,” Brian said.
“At least we’re not crossing Alaska.”
A car could make it across the Lone Star state in a full day. On foot, it was going to take a lot longer.
The only thing that kept me pushing us was history.
Pioneers went across on wagons, wood wheels cutting ruts into the hard pack. Turning game trails into pathways, into stage roads and then highways.
Pioneers invaded the frontier and Indians made them pay the price for it.
Now we were waiting for Z to make us pay the price.
Or survivors.
I didn’t know which was worse, and wasn’t sure if I would put a bet on it.
Coming Soon
Want to read my love of X Files and Midnight Run as a sci fi road comedy? MOON MEN is free.
I was also thinking about Eldridge Sample and one of his adventures called DEAD SHOT that got slotted up to go out this summer. You can grab a western adventure here just to get ready to cowboy up for JUDGED BY TWELVE I’ll send you free next week.
Plus
Go subscribe to YOUTUBE for a ton of free AUDIOBOOKS
For your weekend free reading:
Agent Zero (An Agent Zero Spy Thriller—Book #1
To Win a Throne: Epic Fantasy Box Set
Exile – a space opera thriller
The Eye Thief (A DI Erica Swift Thriller Book 1)
Ambushed by a Bloodthirsty Gang: A Historical Western Adventure Novel
Due to my lack of sharpening, I tend to read your small story pieces day after day as part of one novel. When done this way, it is harder to follow; but I think worth it.
You are so right. I'm a great procrastinater, even though I know I'll feel better once the "project" is completed. And I tend to overthink it. :(