There’s nothing worse than getting “writer’s block” when you try to make a living as a writer. Well, I guess having no arms would actually be worse, but then you could at least use your toes to write with, but whatever.

I actually really hate the term writer’s block because it feels like you’re just looking for an excuse for the fact that you can’t step up to the plate. “I’m not boring and uncreative…I’m just suffering from writer’s block!!” See how stupid that sounds? It makes me want to punch people in the face.

Either way, the loss of creativity struck me for the past week as I was trying to write this column. I really could not figure out what to do, so I did the next best thing; I asked others for advice! There’s a valuable lesson there kids. When you are failing miserably, RELY ON OTHERS TO BAIL YOU OUT! (see, I have a future as a politician)

I decided then to ask my colleagues to toss out some possible topics for me to write about to see if they could come up with anything useful…

Dave: Hey guys, my Meet Curacao column is pending but I’m drawing blanks. Give me some ideas….
Colleague: Why don’t you go to the beach and just clear your mind and see what you come up with?
Dave: I don’t like the sun….
Colleague: You don’t like the sun? What kind of crap is that? You live in Curacao….how can you not like the sun?
Dave: Well, it’s the tattoos actually. I’m not allowed to be in the sun too much or else they’ll discolor and become gross….
Colleague: You are a very odd individual.
Dave: …………….* has blank expression on face *
Colleague: Why don’t you write about “Karnaval”?
Dave: I don’t like Karnaval….
Colleague: Something is very wrong with you.
Dave: I’d appreciate it if you didn’t judge me so much….
Colleague: Well, why don’t you write about going out and drinking during the weekend?
Dave: I don’t drink….
Colleague: YOU DON’T DRINK? WHAT TYPE OF FREAK ARE YOU?????
Dave: DON’T YELL AT ME!!! * cries like a toddler *

So yeah, I’m living in the proverbial “tropical paradise” and it’s not inspiring me to write about anything. I seriously started to think that something is very wrong with me. Am I losing it? Am I working too much? Am I slowly burning out? Am I not enjoying life as much as I should be? WHY DON’T I DRINK? AM I NORMAL???? WHY DO BUNNY RABBITS AMUSE ME SO MUCH???

And while I was panicking about the fact that I could not find the inspiration for my latest column, the news came in that a catastrophic earthquake hit Haiti. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. According to news reports, more than 80% of the population lives in poverty. This is a country that has suffered so much throughout the past couple of years and now devastation strikes them again.

It’s moments like these that make me feel small and stupid. I have a million reasons to be thankful for in my life and I’m stressing about my “lack of creativity”. I’m doing this while thousands of people are suffering through a major disaster. The result is that everything gets put in perspective and suddenly your selfish little problems are dwarfed by something that’s on a scale that you can’t even imagine.

And while my mindset suddenly turns to the people of Haiti and how to help them, I stand still and appreciate all that I have. It’s really funny how much you start to appreciate certain things when you realize how easily you can lose them.

So I make my way back behind the pc and instead of sweating my articles, I just sit quietly and reflect on how fragile life can be. It almost makes me want to have a drink………