Why does Genie’s and my marriage work?
“Why does Genie’s and my marriage work? We’re sometimes asked this question by people we meet who know we’ve been together fifty-one years and are (as they put it) “still happy.” Here are a few reasons (other than Genie serendipitously kicking my ass as I’ll describe later): We were lucky that we failed with our projects enough times to never become wealthy. Here’s another reason: I happen to wake up at 3:00 am to write each day. Genie wakes at about 6:00 am. Most mornings when Genie wakes up, last nights’ dishes are done and the kitchen has been cleaned. Why? Did she give me some speech about “shared housework”? Never. But when I make my 5:00 am third cup of coffee, I take a fifteen-minute break from my Big Fancy Self-Important (often delusional) Writing Career and clean the kitchen. Why? Because I love Genie! That’s the only real reason to do anything in life: love of self is love of others. It’s the only reason that Genie makes our beds and vacuums our house. It’s why I do most of the cooking seven days a week and Genie stacks four cords of firewood every year for our wood-burning stove. This is not complicated. Genie is happier walking into a clean kitchen. I write better knowing while I do my “important” work that the kitchen sparkles and Genie’s day is starting with her feeling loved. I am happier because I don’t have to do all the heavy lifting on our property because Genie stacks truckloads of wood when she’s not busy in her clothing design and sewing studio. Result? We both feel cared for—because we are. Duh!”
A pre-order purchase of the paperback right now really will help the book far more than buying it later. And if you decide to give away copies of my book as gifts to family and friends or to those you work with - say to everyone you know :) - please pre-order those extra copies today. This is when you can really help out most. In today's nutty book world pre-orders are "where it's at."
Fall in Love, Have Children, Stay Put, Save the Planet, Be Happy
is Available for Pre-Order Now.
To be published November 2 by HCI Books • Distributed by Simon & Schuster
