Dear "Me"

Today is January 25 of 2007.

Dear Me,

I hope to accomplish the following in 2007:

         1. Write more.

         2. Practice my photography more.

         3. Continue Traveling………

Oh my, “Me,” – I am in big trouble. What a yawner set of goals. If I wasn’t really “Me” reading this drivel, then I would have lined the bottom of my budgie cage by now.  If this set of goals was taped on my bathroom mirror to motivate me to start this year let alone this day, I’d gag brushing my teeth, and I’d have to quit the day before it even started. I understand better why New Year’s Resolutions get broken.

So I I’ve come up with a solution.  “Me,” I am going to decide what I will be doing in 2008 and then I’ll have to accomplish things in 2007 to attain my stars. There’s no way I can break my 2007 goals if I want 2008 to be prosperous. It’s tricky but I can fool ‘Me” and I.  I just know it will work.

In 2008, I plan to have written and published the start of at least one of my children’s series books I have be procrastinating doing for centuries now. The first is a series of books called, “From the Backseat Window.”  I wish to incorporate my photography with children’s literature. The premise for this series came from my ever evolving children. When I would drive them to and from school, they would tell me “to look up there,” and then proceed to describe what they saw in their line of vision. I would then use their descriptions as topics for my next children’s stories. Children from the back seat of a car see up, but I, as the driver, only see out front. So the two driving worlds are from very different perspectives.  I would like to incorporate a cloud creature of some kind as a narrator. I spent hours with my kids trying to find creatures amongst the fluffy, frothy clouds of a hot summer’s day.

The second series’ idea came from my second son who is now 21. My first 6 years of life with my second son revolved around little red gumboots; sixteen pairs in all.  Yes, that was what my little boy, Holt, wore from the time he could walk until he went into Grade One. Two pairs at all times in the mud room and replaced as they wore out – approximately every three to four months. As far as my son was concerned there was no need for any other investment on my part as long as he could wear his boots.  Clothes were not as important as his boots.  It was a war to get them off at nap and bedtime so I kept a special pair that he could sleep in (as they had never seen the outdoors.)  I would then gently try to remove those boots once Holt fell asleep – it didn’t always work though.

Now you ask, what would make gumboots- and red ones only - so special to a little lad? They were MAGIC.  These little boots made Holt go, and do all sorts of things.  Whenever I asked Holt why he did an action or went to a place, I always received the same answer – “my boots took me there or my boots told me to do it because they are magic!” Only he pronounced it “mathic”. So for nearly 4 years I had to live with the actions of “mathic” boots. Little Reds became his nickname that he wore with pride.  This nickname confused many people who saw Holt because he had very dark brown hair and with the nickname of “Little Reds” everyone expected him to have red hair.  When asked why he was called “Little Reds” he would just look you straight in the eye and proudly point to his little red gumboots.

This series would be about a child that did mischievous adventures blaming his boots, of course, and then learning the consequences of his/her actions. I’d call it “The Magic of Little Reds.”

I also want to go to Ireland and Paris in 2008. Iceland is up there too because the photo opportunities are endless in Iceland.  I hope to publish a series of Photo books with themes. I love to photograph doors and windows.  There is always a story behind them, and in the history of their design and why they were chosen for that particular dwelling. I’d also like to publish a photo book containing pictures a writer would find useful in using as writing prompts. These types of pictures beg for a story to revolve around them. The fun thing is every writer would see a different story.

Now, off to accomplish these missions. OK “Me”; this is what I’ve done so far. I applied to the Institute if Children’s Literature out of West Redding, Connecticut.  I had to write an aptitude test and if I qualified then I was given a placement. I applied, wrote and passed. I am now a student of the Institute on my way to fulfilling my dreams. I continue to write a little everyday and each time I find a topic prompt that interests me I start a story. I enter as many contests as I can even a 24 hour contest - one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Getting to Ireland, Paris and Iceland have more challenges, but I know that arriving at each will be worth it.  I have already started my British Air Mileage account so that will help with Ireland. I am looking at enrolling in a Travel Photo Workshop in Paris which is being held in spring of 2008.  With all the current “beat the deadline bargains” being offered by this company, and a careful watch of seat sales, I should be able to make that on a dime (Euro dime that is - so 15 cents.)
Iceland is expensive to get to on its own. But if there is a will there is a way.  So I “Googled” photo contests and found a Photo and Writing contest that offered one of the prizes being an all expense paid trip to Iceland. Unless you are a photo nut, can you actually imagine someone getting excited about winning a trip in Iceland, especially now when most of my Province is under snow? The other search engines must have had quite a chuckle when “Google” shared its day’s search requests over coffee.

Getting my pictures published will also take some time. Collecting and editing is an art that is, perfected with practice, and boy, do I practice. I have already self published a book of photos of my travel journeys to date, “Time, a Journey, and a Lens. I wait anxiously for it to arrive so I can see if my photos look as good in print as they do as a “Thumbnails.”  (If “Thumbnails” are found to be the way to go, then I won’t have much of a book will I?)

So "Me”, thank you for taking the time to read my life’s path and journey it is to take in the following years. Hopefully you are still awake and this letter does not prove to be the next earthshaking discovery for a sleep deprivation tonic. I have 2008 and 2007 all figured out and on the go and its only January. There are still 11 months left in 2007 to try new ideas and set up new projects that fall into my path. Now onto 2009, but I will leave that to another letter.

Hope you have as much success as I am planning to have.

By for now,

Tamara