It's a book ... "The Story of my Life", full of blank pages with questions at the top like ... "What did you do that your parents didn't want you to do? Did you get caught?"
I could write an entire book on that question alone!
"Well," I exclaim flipping through the pages, "I'll do it ... and hope Che reads it for the first time at my funeral and it makes her laugh out loud and that makes you mad at first but then you laugh and she doesn't get in trouble."
We laugh and a few days later Sarah asks if I've started.
"I will," I explain ... never one to give a simple "Yes" or "No" answer ... I delve into other things I'm writing, where I'm stuck, things I'd like to write and the favorite things I've written.
"That's a 'No'?" Sarah sighs, overly frustrated with me.
The next day I begin answering the questions and now have really gotten into it.
While I've covered a lot of this territory in other things I've already written ... I've never done it in this particular way ... with the conviction I could very well be dead by the time Che gets around to reading it ... if I even finish it!
Mortality's a bitch to the 60 year old Dad of a 6 month old precious little girl!
Ah well ... "it is what it is" to quote my Mother ... as I thoughtfully write what is a love letter to my wife and our daughter.
My story's got everything ... lots of sex ... little bit of drugs ... overdose of rock-and-roll.
There's incredible highs ... devastating lows ... betrayals Judas could never have managed ... an undying love of the Ocean ... trips around the world ... sandy bottoms ... ducted taped hearts ... whole lives that broke ... and broken lives made whole.
At it's core though it's my journey to get to Sarah and make Che ... against all conventional wisdom!
Thank God it's not done yet!
I'm still working on it ... rearranging priorities ... making new plans ... dreaming new dreams ... casting off the pains of the past ... completely embracing the pleasures of the present ... hoping there's one more day to celebrate now.
Sarah also told me we have to redo our will now that Che's here and she'll make all those decisions.
I think my only real contribution will be the film rights to the story of my life.
If it's ever made into a movie, in the right hands, Sarah and Che will make lots of money which would please me immensely.
Should that never happen though, I hope it makes Che laugh at my funeral and when Sarah makes eye contact with a death stare ... they burst out laughing together ... and know how very much alive they made me.
