You’re Not Paying Attention

My mother was flipping through photos from last week’s Canal Room show. “You look so tired,” she said. “I can always tell what’s going on with you from your eyes.”

That was a pretty major bummer as a kid ‘cuz there was no faking her out. I couldn’t play sick to avoid school; she’d just look into my eyes and say, “No you’re not.” And when I was big into the pot, I really had to avert my eyes. Which only made it worse.

As I was getting ready to leave Miami on Tuesday morning, I caught a long look at myself in one of those big hotel bathroom mirrors and thought, ‘Man, you look tired. You look old. You look like your dad.’

And I do. All the above. Which is fine. Except the tired part. I can manage that. Here’s how I’m gonna’ do it…

I’m gonna’ sleep in. All week. I’m gonna’ fall asleep on the beach. I’m gonna’ eat home-cooked meals. I’m going to eat fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the farm at which they were grown. I’m going to swim in the ocean. I’m going to run in the sand. I’m going to play my guitar on a grassy hill overlooking the bay. I’m going to lounge in the sun. And then I’m going to have a beer, and fall asleep on the porch just as the sun sets.

I’m going to get healthy all over again. And I’m going to look you straight in the eyes, and you’ll know it’s true.