smack-dab | The Direction of Intention

Keep Driving! [on saturday morning smack-dab.]

Posted on March 5, 2022 by davidrobinsoncreative

We both have long histories of epic drives. We like being on the road. In our early days (not that long ago) we thought nothing of 16 hour drives. And then, in a snap, something changed. Namely, being able to see at night. Weird. It’s on the list of stuff that our elders had been warning us about but we paid no attention because it was never going to happen. To us.

It was on the drive home from our honeymoon that we made the rule: no more night time roadtripping. If we can’t afford to stop, we shouldn’t make the trip. If we don’t have the time to stop, we shouldn’t make the trip. And, by the way, what happened to my 20/20 vision? I’m sure it’s here somewhere!

We are quite capable of denial. Denial is a great breaker of rules. Also, circumstance plays a role in our rule following. You haven’t experienced life until you’ve been in a car with Kerri driving like a demon to outrun a tornado. That the sun was setting was not a factor at all. We blasted through the night. I swear that LittleBabyScion nearly took flight. I didn’t know it was night, though, because I had my eyes closed. Sometimes it is simply better to not see what’s coming and keep on driving.

read Kerri’s blog post about KEEP DRIVING

Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: 20/20, aarp, aging, artistry, breaking rules, circumstance, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, denial, driving, eyesight, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, long drives, roadtrip, Rules, second chances, story, studio melange, the melange, two artists, vision | Leave a comment »

Dress In Layers [on saturday morning smack-dab.]

Posted on February 26, 2022 by davidrobinsoncreative

I know to dress in layers. If we are going to take a drive in these cold months, or go to the store, the windows will go down. The windows will go up. Hot. Cold. Menopause, I’ve learned, is a whack-a-mole of temperature fluctuation.

I am a man – and a slow-study – but I know when I am on thin ice and writing about menopause is very thin ice. There is only one thing I will add to my dress-in-layers comment: when the heat hits her brain I have to remind her that they will punch me, not her. And, as a chivalrous guy (stop smirking), it’s my obligation and duty to stand between her and the biker-dude that she’s just called a “sissy.” I’m not much of an obstacle.

But mostly, that biker-dude wouldn’t stand a chance. She’d blow through me like a hot tornado. Windows up. Windows down.

read Kerri’s blog post about MENOPAUSE

Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: aarp, artistry, bathrooms, cartoon, cartoon about middle age, comic strip, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, hot flash, hot flashes, hot/cold, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, layers, menopause, middle age, mini mart, rest areas, second chances, story, studio melange, temerature flux, the melange, two artists, whack-a-mole | Leave a comment »

Get Up! [on saturday morning smack-dab.]

Posted on February 19, 2022 by davidrobinsoncreative

When I was young and resilient, I enjoyed doing prat falls. I walked into walls on purpose. It was good for a laugh. Suddenly falling out of my clogs was a minor-show-stopper. It’s the element of surprise. Laughter loves the unexpected.

These days (how’s that for an old guy phrase!) I am less likely to spontaneously fall down unless, of course, it’s unintentional. Now, when I fall, I’m the one who is surprised. The good news in my reversal of fortune is that I can now take full advantage of the getting-up-process. My audience is no longer wowed by my prat fall but can be thoroughly entertained by my authentic struggles to stand. It’s not pretty so it’s filled with opportunities for fun.

“Age and stage” as 20 says. Age and stage.

read Kerri’s blog post about FALLING DOWN

Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: aarp, age and stage, aging, artistry, cartoon, comic, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, falling down, getting up, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, laughter, middle age, musician, painter, prat fall, resilience, saturday morning smack-dab, second chances, smack-dab., story, studio melange, the melange, two artists, unexpected, writers | Leave a comment »

Be Manly [on saturday morning smack-dab.]

Posted on February 12, 2022 by davidrobinsoncreative

Don’t be deceived. Even though I’m a sensitive male, a soft-guy, an empath, an introvert, a painter…I am, after all, still a man. In a pre-google-maps-world, when lost, I’d never stop the car and ask for directions. I’d flex and figure it out. If you have a problem, my first impulse is to fix it. Guy stuff, through and through. Sometimes I even surprise myself. “How manly of me!” I exclaim.

read Kerri’s blogpost about BOY-GIRL STUFF

Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: aarp, artistry, cartoons, change, change angst, chocolate, comics, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, denial, fixing, guy stuff, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, life changes, mars and venus, men and women, middle age, problem solving, resistance, second chances, sleep, sleep deprivation, smack-dab., solving, story, studio melange, the melange | 2 Comments »

Climb That Mountain [on saturday morning smack-dab.]

Posted on February 5, 2022 by davidrobinsoncreative

Once, after sleeping through the sunrise at a rest area, we drove through a Starbucks without stopping at the order kiosk. The kind young woman at the window, after politely telling us that we hadn’t yet ordered, brought us vats of coffee for free. She said we looked like we needed it. And, we did. We needed it.

I suppose we don’t really know what is good for us. That might be the reason we regularly step into the ridiculous and only recognize that it is ridiculous after-the-fact. My favorite part of our folly is the paradox that makes it all possible: we have the spirit of feral cats but were raised to be polite and clean our plates. It’s this inner collision that makes possible each and every attempt at scaling Mt. Pancake.

We’ve yet to summit. But, never fear, the next time all-you-can-eat crosses our fancy, we’ll get out the ropes and pitons, the special forks and belts that loosen-a-notch or two, and we’ll climb that mountain until I collapse in the booth and Kerri glazes over in a pancake-coma. Some nice serving person will gently take our plates and tell us to take our time. “No rush,” they will say, “You look like you need to sit for a while.” It’s a wonder they don’t take our car keys.

read Kerri’s blogpost about PANCAKES

Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: aarp, all you can eat, artistry, coffee, composer, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, empty nesters, feral cats, folly, food, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, painter, pancakes, polite, roadtrip, second chances, starbucks, story, studio melange, the melange, travel, travel stories, two artists | Leave a comment »

Travel Here [on saturday morning smack-dab.]

Posted on January 29, 2022 by davidrobinsoncreative

One of the cruelties of multiple daily zoom meetings is that, in addition to seeing other faces, you also stare at your own. “OMG!” I think to myself (of course- who else would I think to), “I look old!” The picture that I see on the screen does not match the picture in my mind. In my mind, I am much younger. “Some old guy stole my voice!” I shout to myself.

Here’s a strange bit of phraseology: I did not know our kids when they were kids. I came into their lives when they were already adults so I don’t have the memories of footie pajamas, bath time or back yard swing sets. During a recent visit with Craig, I realized that Kerri measures her time on earth relative to her children. She’s constantly reconciling the adult son/daughter sitting across the table with the infant son/daughter that she remembers like it was yesterday. “Where did the time go?” she asks, looking at her hands.

We’re all adults now. Well, even staring into the eyes of that dude who stole my voice, I’m cautious about claiming adulthood. I feel as if I stepped into a time machine that thrust me forward in time. I remember myself in footie pajamas as if it was yesterday. It’s ironic, isn’t it, that it’s in the last few laps that you understand the race is all in your mind and the real juice of life is in enjoying a body that can run. Or feel. Or sense. Or love. Or dance. Or hold the hand of the one you adore.

The advice I’d give to our children is the same advice I’d give to myself (and I’d do it, too, if that rat-bastard hadn’t stolen my voice!), “There’s no hurry. This race is not run on a line. It’s a circle. You’re not really getting anywhere more important than where you already are.” It’s a time machine to now.

read Kerri’s blog post about TIME MACHINES

Filed under: Family, Love, smack-dab | Tagged: aarp, advice, aging, artistry, changing faces, dance, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, empty nest, enjoy life, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, life, live, love, memories, motherhood, now, parenthood, presence, saturday morning smack-dab, second chances, senses, smack-dab, story, studio melange, the melange, time, time machine, two artists, youth | Leave a comment »

Speak Double Speak [on saturday morning smack-dab.]

Posted on January 22, 2022 by davidrobinsoncreative

I’m a big-picture-guy. Kerri is a detail-girl. And, although that sounds like a great country music lyric, it makes for some interesting conversations. We can talk about the same thing and never know it. Or, we can talk about diametrically opposed points of view and think we’re in utter agreement.

With my head in the clouds, I often have to talk things out. Sense-making happens for me when I can get thoughts out of my head via my mouth. One day, a few years into our relationship, while I was in mid-yammer, Kerri looked at me and said, “Gear down.” It had never occurred to me that I might have to find a lower gear when climbing steep-thought-grades. “Gear down” has become a relationship-saving-shorthand.

Her other defense mechanism is to tune me out. I know I need to stop-talking when I see white noise behind her eyes. When I try to pull her into my hot air balloon for a higher view, her detail mind has learned to spin the knob and find another station.

I float to the sky and look at the future. She drops roots into the moment. It’s a wonder that she hasn’t smothered me with her pillow or pushed me out of the car.

read Kerri’s blog post on this saturday morning smack-dab.

Filed under: smack-dab, Uncategorized | Tagged: aarp, Agreement, artistry, big picture, Cervantes, communication, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, defense mechanisms, detail, Don Quixote, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, marriage, middle age, miscommunication, relationship, second chances, sense making, story, studio melange, the melange, verbosity | Leave a comment »

Follow Your Conscience [on saturday morning smack-dab.]

Posted on January 15, 2022 by davidrobinsoncreative

Kerri introduced me to Nutella and I’ve never been the same since. Early in our life together, our night-time treat was animal crackers dipped in Nutella. We considered having bowls of animal crackers and Nutella at our wedding but changed the plan when we considered how many lives we’d ruin with Nutella addiction. We like our friends and felt virtuous protecting them from the horrors of guilty pleasure.

We don’t buy Nutella because people send it to us in the mail. Apparently, Kerri has a reputation. We’d keep it out of the house due to an extreme absence of willpower, but when people send you gifts in the mail it’s only polite to enjoy the gift. We wouldn’t want to lie. Our mommas raised-us-right.

I’d also like to confess my lemming nature. When she jumped over the Nutella-waffle-cliff, I followed without thought or hesitation. Never-been-the-same-since.

read Kerri’s blog post about NUTELLA

Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: aarp, addiction, amsterdam, animal crackers, artistry, cocoa, conscience, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, guilty pleasure, hazel nut, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, lemmings, no willpower, Nutella, snacks, story, studio melange, the melange, treats, willpower | Leave a comment »

Color The Language [on saturday morning smack-dab.]

Posted on January 8, 2022 by davidrobinsoncreative

In the cartoon version of our life, Kerri cleans up my language. I never use the word “beeswax” when there are more colorful options available. I’m an artist. Color is my thing.

It’s hard to explain the inner imperative that drives an artist to spend their precious life composing or painting or dancing, even amidst the knowledge that heeding their inner call might never pay the bills. I know many, many people who’ve snuffed their artistry because it simply doesn’t make financial sense. They are now like boiled fish. The ‘”good living” that they make doesn’t replace the vitality-in-life that they ignore. Source is source.

I also understand that the answer, “Because I have to…” must sound childish to someone who has never operated out of an inner necessity or something more meaningful than making-money. I actually understand their eye-roll and less-than-subtle-but-always-predictable response about the need to “take responsibility…” They’re really saying, “Grow up.”

What I’ll never understand is the gap. For instance, Kerri’s music is all over the world. She is regularly stopped on the street or contacted by people who reach to tell her that her music moves them, touches their souls, makes their day, opens their hearts, calms their fears… And, then, she’s asked what’s she’s really going to do (for a living). Or, better, if she’ll play for free. Or why it bugs her that Pandora or Spotify make money – lots of money – on her music – and that is the reason why she is not. The gap between those two poles is…mind boggling. And, into the gap, the question is always dropped: What are you really going to do?

So, I paint the question with vivid colorful language because it makes my love laugh but definitely needs scrubbing before publication.

read Kerri’s blog post about BEAUTY

Filed under: Art, smack-dab, Uncategorized | Tagged: aarp, artistry, calling, career, colorful language, composer, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, fulfillment, gap, imperative, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerri sherwood yamaha artist, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, language, making money, musician, open heart, painter, polarity, story, studio melange, the melange | Leave a comment »

Deny and Arrive [on saturday morning smack-dab.]

Posted on January 1, 2022 by davidrobinsoncreative

Kerri often has a difficult time sleeping which means that I, too, have a difficult time sleeping. Left to my own devices, I am a champion sleeper.

I don’t mind, though. Some of our best conversations happen in the dead of night. There’s nothing like a sleepless wife and a midnight snack to bring up the real stuff. I delight when, in the quiet of a slumbering world, we talk of dreams and disappointments, hopes and heartaches. Nothing is solved. Everything is revealed. The gift of the night is to clear the clutter.

I confess that I sometimes meet her, “Are you up?” with an intentional show of snoring or a delayed response, staged mumbling or, “What, huh…” There is a necessary transition zone from champion sleeper through denial to the arrive at the acceptance that sleepless for one is sleepless for both.

And, then, the great conversations begin.

read Kerri’s blog post on saturday morning smack-dab.