I usually do not go out of my way to make public a piece of such personal information, but, in this case, I'm going to make an exception. Besides, it helps set the stage for my story.

By profession, I am a writer. It is my passion. I love it. When I know I'll be heading to the computer to spend time putting my creative juices to work, I really don't give much thought to the clothes I throw on my body. Well, the one thought to which I do give some consideration is whether I will be comfortable in what I am wearing while toiling (a labor of love ) at the keyboard. To me, comfort is paramount. To be comfortable, I don one of my many Star Wars t-shirts. I feel inspiration just wearing one of them (and there are some days I'll take the inspiration from wherever I can get it!).

Yesterday morning, I stuck my hand to the back of my drawer with my Star Wars t-shirts (yes, I have an entire drawer devoted to them! You know that packing trick where you roll your clothes to save room in a suitcase? It really works - even in dresser drawers! And your shirts come out as wrinkle-free as they were when you rolled them up. Yes, I iron my t-shirts. ), and pulled out my bright red SW shirt with the clear, concise message on the front, "THANK YOU, GEORGE!" in big, bold letters. No picture. No reference to Star Wars. Just that simple statement. The message on the back doesn't give any clues to the uneducated among us: "Thank The Maker. 1977-2005 ThankyouGeorge.com" (I don't think the website exists anymore. ).

This is a very comfy t-shirt. I enjoy wearing it. When I wear it, I think about how one man's imagination fueled the imaginations of millions. I hope my writings help do the same, if on a smaller scale.

Oftentimes, I'll break up my time at the computer to tend to tasks around home, including running errands. A crisp, fall day, I knew I didn't want to spend the entire day indoors, so I headed off to . . . where? To the grocery store so I could be indoors some more! Luckily, I had only a few items to buy.

Anyway, as I was pushing my cart through the produce department as quickly as I could (can you tell I'm not a big fan of this task?), a gray-haired lady called out, "George Washington?" She said it loudly enough that it caught my attention (that ,and the fact I considered it a rather odd question for anyone to pose so loudly among the lettuce, radishes and squash. And I was the only other person in the department. ). I turned in her direction. Before I could offer anything more than "no," she added, "Not George Bush?" (sorry GWB fans) in a voice that indicated she was poised for the worst. I chuckled. "No. George Lucas," I corrected. Must we educate the entire planet??? I suppose it's our lot in life. She seemed content with my answer, and I went on my merry way.

My shopping complete, I headed to the row of cashiers . . . only to be stopped yet once again by another grey -haired lass conducting some banking inside the grocery store. "George who?" she queried. I suppose she thought there were far too many Georges to name. Besides, ask a direct question, and you're likely to get a direct answer. "George Lucas, of course!" I exclaimed enthusiastically. (Is there any other, I ask you? ) She smiled, and turned back to the bank teller. Two for the price of one!

The cashier had to ask, of course, and I got stopped one more time on my way to load up my trunk (I always impulse buy. Maybe that's why I don't like grocery shopping. I always come out with more than I expect to purchase. ). Usually, when I wear my "Thank You George" shirt, I get only odd stares from passersby. Folks must have been in a bold mood yesterday morning.

Luckily, I can take solace in knowing that I never would need to explain the meaning behind the message on this shirt to you. Thank The Maker!

Have a wonderful day!

MTFBWY
JMW

p.s.will I ever learn the meaning of what a short blog is? At least I had a couple of cups of steaming, aromatic coffee and a sumptuous pumpkin muffin to offer me sustenance while I typed. Next time, I'll invite you over to join me.

p.p.s. today, inspired by momof2youngpadawans' blog posted earlier this week, I'm wearing my "Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try." t-shirt. It's my favorite line from the entire saga!