There’s a green monkey that sits in front of me. He sits there with his eyes closed and his nipples pointing directly at me. It’s like they’re his 3rd and 4th eyes. Why do they have to make eye contact though? The belly that hangs below it makes his entire torso look as if it’s another face, but with eyes open. Right below the potbelly protruding from the sculpture are what look like a few tiny bubbles or rocks. He also looks as if he’s wearing a blanket around his back .. or a shawl? Maybe it’s a cape? Super Monkey?

He sits cross legged with his hands rested on his knees as if he’s deep within meditation. Funny enough, just like a monkey, his feet wrap his knees just like a hand would… if it were a monkey foot, right?

He has no hair. None that I can tell, anyways. His ears wave at me every time I sit down in this chair. The snout on his face has a small smile, almost as if it’s his most comfortable resting face. The lips on his face are definitely, uh .. “pouty.” On his back you can see the hood of the shawl and also, what I’m guessing, is the artist’s name. It’s all in kanji though, so yeah, I have no clue who made this guy but that they were from China or Japan (looks more Japanese, but I’m not going to bet my lunch money on it). Wait… google translate? Oh shit, it means “shadow.” So… is that the monkey’s name? Is that the artist’s name? That’s a really long way to write “Shadow.”

When I initially bought this little guy, he sat amongst a bunch of different animal sculptures in a tiny tourist shop in Orleans, MA. I looked at a few of the other animals but none really caught my eye but this smirky dude. When we brought him home, he had a sticker on his ass, which is completely flat. Squats are in this little guy’s future. Hip thrusters with some weight. Deadlifts too. Booty or bust.

On his flat little bottom, this sticker said that “the monkey – of a parenting spirit. attracted to creativity. or you just really like monkeys.” or something to that effect.

Now, I’ve always loved monkeys

…but I love to use him as a reminder. It’s easy to sit down at the computer and want to browse the web, to get wrapped up in work, to play a game, to watch some YouTube. It’s TOO easy. He’s a reminder to be your own parent, to stay on top of your shit, to chase the creativity wherever you may find it, to inspire those around you. Or just to love monkeys. There’s a chance I got him purely because I love monkeys, but I’d be a fool to not use him as a reminder for something greater.

It’s late, my body feels beaten and broken, and I need water. Find your own monkey, give him meaning, make him a reminder, and bring forth your beauty. Don’t spank your monkey either, monkeys don’t like being spanked.