How do you keep from going nuts? Anyone trying to grow a business from scratch needs to get his mind off the business from time to time. It's bad enough you lay awake at 3:00 am worrying about making payroll. You deserve a break today. So, this month the lucky readers of this column get to enjoy the fruits of one of my mental health pursuits. I joined a local writer's group and the result of one of our first exercises follows.

El Nino Did It

Mid all the concern, we're beginning to learn
Just what's causing things to go blooey,
From cloudy to sunny, from health woes to money,
El Nino is making us screwy!

Floods in the West, East coast's a mess,
Snow where it doesn't belong,
Mud slides and thunder, homes torn asunder,
El Nino is making things wrong.

From bad breath to zits, it's giving us fits.
It's making us nuts every day.
It's not your fault that your son joined a cult.
El Nino caused him to stray.

Behind in your bills? Spouse got the chills?
Neighbor's dog pooped on your lawn?
Relax! It's the norm, just like the next storm
That El Nino will bring us at dawn.

So the next time you need an excuse for a deed
That you don't really want to admit to,
Don't take the blame, don't feel any shame.
Say El Nino was out to get you!