planning the mountain climb from my chair

somedays I wake up with low energy

feeling lethargic and unmotivated

particularly after a restless night

stumbling through the day in a fog

I used to push back hard on those feelings

forcing myself to get things done

desperately trying to overcome the lethargy

threatening myself with guilt for under achieving

I have learned to embrace the low energy days

when my body cries slow down l now take heed

I do not answer the door when Mr. Guilt comes knocking

no need to climb the mountain today

the list of things to do for today can be rescheduled

pushed onto a high energy day when I will get more done

besides its good to sit back sometimes and just look at the mountain from my chair

I will work out the path for the big climb tomorrow 

booze cruise

Sunny day

Party planned

Friends arrive

Load boat

Party supplies

Lively conversation

Smiling faces

Boat launch

Calm waters

No wind

Booze cruise

Happy people

Loud music

Endless laughter

Motoring on

Slight breeze

Music louder

Crazy dansing

Serving shots

Inhibitions lost

Stiff breeze

Choppy waters

No panic

Party continues

Captain drinking

Radio blinking

Strong winds

Big waves

Boat heaving

Alcohol flows

Party continues

Skies darken

Big storm

Heavy rain

Lightning strikes

Party stops

Worried faces

Gales blowing

Massive waves

Boat heaving

Panic strikes

People overboard

Boat capsizes

Wind calms

Storm over

People clinging

Against hull

Boating rescue

All survived

Boat destroyed

Lives saved

Lesson learned

Check weather

Before boating

happiness recipe

I came across this recipe recently. Its very simple and anybody can make it. Interestingly the ingredients do not include relationships, money or material possessions.  Note that it recommends serving to everybody you know which implies that you will achieve your own happiness by giving to others. 

Ingredients

2 heaped cups of Patience

1 heart full of Love

2 handfuls of Generosity

1 headful of Understanding

a dash of Laughter

an endless supply of Kindness

plenty of Faith

Instructions

Combine patience, love, and generosity with understanding. Add a dash of laughter and sprinkle generously with kindness. Add plenty of Faith and mix well. Spread over a lifetime and serve everybody you know.

Random Song lines (and the memories they bring me)

Nights in white satin

(School days studying at home in the summer heat)

Anarchy in the UK

(college days and punk rock)

Let me introduce to you, the act we have known for all these years

(Liverpool city centre drab shops)

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away

(my first love affair)

Lets go surfin now

(California sunshine)

Donald where’s yer troosers

(Crazy fun Robert Burn’s birthday parties)

You’ll never walk alone

(grown men crying at the start of Liverpool football club games)

I’ll give you all I’ve got to give

(rainy days at school)

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas

(Snow, log fire, tinsel, sherry, mince pies and presents)

Don’t stop believin

(singing really loud and off key with inebriated friends)

Excuse me while I kiss the sky

(the smell of funny cigarettes)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

(Family new year’s eve parties with lots of Scotch whisky)

Love is the drug for me

(My wedding)

Parklife

(Patricia and Norman arrival celebration)

School’s out forever

(my last day at school)

Livin on a prayer

(Dancing in the sand and spilling beer at Seacrets in Ocean City)

My heart is drenched wine

(Getting divorced)

You would never break the chain

(Watching formula One motor racing on BBC TV)

Its

(Monty Python)

Smoke on the water

(Boating on Turville Creek with Norby and Maria)

its no fun living in somebody else’s window

there I was sitting inside for what seemed like an eternity

waiting for the cable company to show up

we had been sent new TV cable boxes and a modem

supposedly to fix our erratic TV reception

but after hours on the phone being walked through the installation

we still could not get the TV to work properly

they finally gave up and agreed to send a technician

promising to come within a two hour window

but they often break their promises

sometimes not showing up at all

would today be any different I wondered  

I thought about using the two hour window myself

next time I need an appointment for the doctor

I will give them a two hour window for my arrival

and the doctor must be ready for me as soon as I show up

it will be the same when I go to the dentist or attorney

no more hanging around in waiting rooms

they can all wait for me to show up

If I get to the place at the start of the window

I will sit outside in my car for an hour or more

breezing in with five minutes left in the window

I was thinking of going out for dinner that nightt

A reservation for 7pm is too tight for me

lets say anytime between 6 and 8 pm 

then I might see a movie after dinner

the screening time was 9.30 pm but would call the theatre

telling them to hold off starting the movie until I show up

sometime in my two hour window

this will start a revolution

everybody will live in their own little windows

just a few clicks and the Uber driver is on his way

to pick you up somewhere between 3 and 5 pm

If you get seriously ill just call 911 and ask for an ambulance

they will show up with flashing lights sometime in the next two hours 

then there was a knock at the door

it was the cable company technition

he arrived bang in the middle of the window

quickly repairing the bad cable connection in the street outside

he did the install of the new equipment himself in minutes

he was courteous and explained every button on the new remotes

making sure we were comfortable operating everything

I asked him what he thought about the appointment window thing

surprisingly he confessed that it was obviously infuriating for customers

revealing they were piloting a new system to keep customers better informed

sending multiple text updates to accurately predict technician arrival times

so that customers no longer had to wait around for hours in the dark

I was so happy to learn that the cable company was breaking windows

lets hope others will follow suit

its no fun living in somebody else’s window

what vintage are your memories

they say travel broadens the mind

exposing you to previously unseen things

diving into different cultures

taking you out of your comfort zone

it can also create long lasting memories

we took a trip to Portugal in 2018

exploring the cities of Lisbon and Porto

visiting wineries and tasting delicious port wine

we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary

in a small town called Pinhoa 

deep in the heart of the wine country

on the banks of the river Douro

eating lunch in a small restaurant overlooking the river

followed by an afternoon stroll through the town

chatting to the non-English speaking store owners

communicating through gestures pointing and smiles 

we stumbled upon a wine store

the owner spoke perfect English

helping us chose a rare ten year old vintage port

directing us to a late afternoon river boat cruise

boarding a small traditional flat bottomed Rabelo boat

originally used to transport people and goods 

on the shallow fast moving waters of the Douro river

which has since been calmed by many dams

there was only one other couple on that boat

a father and daughter from South America

touring Europe to celebrate his retirement

chatting as the boat glided through breathtaking scenery

the boat captain miraculously had clean glasses

toasting our 10th anniversary with our new friends

sipping on 10 year old vintage port

swapping life stories in the short one hour trip

declaring 2008 to be a fine vintage year

 making lifelong memories on the Douro river

1,000 Cheeky Monkeys!!!!!

today we reached the big milestone of 1,000 postings on Cheeky Monkey Poetry!

this is enough material for 10 poetry books!

our first post was on May 31, 2021

its been a wild ride over the last three years

here are some of the events that occurred during this period

the Covid 19 Pandemic declined and officially ended

Russia invaded Ukraine

Cheeky Monkey Poetry attracted over 300 followers

Apple Stock reached $3 trillion

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock

Sam Obrien and JH Huzzah made guest appearances on Cheeky Monkey Poetry

the word game Wordle went viral

microplastics were discovered in human blood

the titan tourist submarine imploded

Cheeky Monkey Poetry followers made over 2,600 likes and 1,000 comments

Roe v. Wade was overturned

Queen Elizabeth II died

Nasa sent a rocket to an asteroid

Elon Musk bought Twitter

5 short stories appeared on Cheeky Monkey Poetry

world population reached 8 billion

Argentina won the world cup

earthquakes in Syria and Turkey killed 50,000 people

Hamas invaded Israel and a war started

former President Trump went on trial in New York

Liverpool FC manager Jurgen Klopp retired

more than 220,000 words were published on Cheeky Monkey Poetry

…………………………………………….<>……………………………………………………………..

a big thank you to our website production team Addison and Abby

what started as a daily poem for one year challenge just kept rolling

we are planning a major overhaul of the website later this year

we hope you continue to enjoy these daily musings

STAY CHEEKY MY FRIENDS

Red cushion massacre

she placed the red cushion on the blue leather chair

gently fluffing and arranging it neatly

it looked perfect in her eyes

almost too good to sit on she thought

he came in and slouched in the chair

falling asleep after a few beers

god bless him she thought

he had a hard day at work

she watched TV while he slept

tuning into her home decorating shows  

after a few hours he woke up

he stretched and walked away

she looked at the crumpled red cushion

distorted and mangled like a blood stained corpse

crushed to death by her overweight husband

empty beer cans and snack crumbs are his calling cards

he came back into the room carrying a beer and snacks

she could feel the pain of her red cushion as he flopped down

he cracked open the beer can

it fizzed and exploded covering him in a sea of beer foam

he jumped up and dropped the dripping can

it landed on the crumpled red cushion

soaking the innocent red corpse in beer 

his big feet trampled the dropped snacks deep into the carpet

they made eye contact but did not speak

her eyes were saying you totally ruined my decor

you big fat untidy disgusting drunken cushion murderer

his eyes were saying shit that was the last beer in the fridge

Oh glorious May in Maryland

Oh glorious May in Maryland

Bridging spring into summer

Longer days and shorter nights

A time to sow seeds and plant flowers

Oh glorious May in Maryland

Do some spring cleaning

Blast everything outside with the power washer

Turn on the lawn irrigation

Oh glorious May in Maryland

Wake up early for sunrises

Listen to the dawn chorus

Take breakfast on the screen porch

Oh glorious May in Maryland

Go for a bike ride or take a walk

A few hours decluttering

Hauling away trash and donations

Oh glorious May in Maryland

You can be wet and windy

Some May days are cooler than we like

But we forgive you

Oh glorious May in Maryland

Lets take a break and do a Happy Hour

Get ready for summer fun days

May days are play days in Maryland