Stop and Smell the Silk Roses

Joe Tornatore is a fellow blogger and writer who, I believe not unlike me, writes because he loves to. He writes without pretension, with heart and honesty, making keen observations and sometimes witty/sometimes groaning but always fun use of the language.

He not only blogs (see Freudian Slips), he wrote a book that I have had the privilege to read: Stop and Smell the Silk Roses. It tells of the adventures of a man in a bee suit, hiding from stinging insects but refusing to hide from life. Having a rare skin disease that leads to anaphylaxis if he is stung, Joe embarked on a long term treatment program while going on with his life protected by a bee suit. He is a social worker (as some of you may know, a profession I consider myself recovered from),a loving son, a father, a husband (she saved him!), a man who drives under hornets nests (with the windows closed even when the air conditioner doesn’t work), has people in the grocery store betting on who and what exactly he is (bubble boy?) and plays tennis at night after the bees are asleep, all in the course of an average day. He is a man who seems to never miss the irony and fun in any situation.

In the end Joe fulfilled a premonition that he would end up in a museum -- who knew it would be Ripley’ Believe It or Not in Atlantic City?

The moral of the story, at least according to me, is that shit happens. Get over yourself & have some fun. Joe’s an example we could all stand to emulate. Get his book here (well, you‘ll probably have to e-mail him but I think you can still get your book).

thanks Joe, I truly enjoyed the read.