Twisted Tweens: I Envy the Pushmi-Pullyu

I was outside, digging young bushes out of my mom's garden; I enjoyed the beauty of all the little green plants around me – dappled with the sunlight that poured through the grown bushes bending over me. I was outside, knowing that I should savor the moment... and I wanted to go inside. It wasn't as though I felt hot or overly bother by the mosquitoes. I simply wanted to go in and write – for there are so many things to write. And as much as I love write, I was annoyed that it distracted me from living freely in my moment of gardening, just as I was annoyed at the gardening for keeping me from writing.

I've been feeling like this a lot recently, like a single headed creature that wants to talk and eat at the same time (and I know that plenty of people do this, but it's not very proper or practical.) Thus, I find myself envying Dr. Doolittle's pushmi-pullyu. This creature had a head at each end of its body, something which has several benefits: first, it is very difficult to catch, and, second, it can eat and talk at the same time – in fact, one head did most of the eating, while the other head managed most of the talking. Alas, I have no such capabilities. So, I've been asking myself what I should do. Should I stuff food into my mouth as I force out an unintelligible monologue? Well, obviously, I should not. I should take one bite of food, give it thirty-two good chews, enjoy the taste and swallow. Then, if I must speak, I should use clear, complete sentences. Yes, this is what I should do with the things I love. Pay special attention to each. I just wish that there was more time.

In spite of feeling distracted in two, I've had some fairly good success recently. Two of my plays were selected for The Coterie's Young Playwrights' Festival, and the performances (or staged readings) went really well. They even got reviewed. And I hope that all reviews of my plays will be as kind as this one. Here's the link to the review http://kcmetropolis.org/articles/Young_Playwright_s__05,12,09,04,05,20

I also directed a play of Puss in Boots at the Alcott Arts Center – something for which I even got paid. Plus, I've had a couple of other projects going on. And as exciting as all of this is, it has been distracting (or forcefully pulling) me from my normal life, and the routine things I enjoy, such as gardening and writing my Dekoposh column. I just hope I can find the balance.... And a way to do everything.

I even felt this way as a Tween, but I imagine other Tweens feel it even more, because I wasn't a terribly busy Tween.

But busy or not. I will be back next week.

Thank you for reading.

Zachary W.