Birthday Blog :)

Today I celebrate my life.  I celebrate everything that has made me uniquely me.  I celebrate every experience and person that has come into my life, shaping my dreams and realities, pushing me to reach my goals, and teaching me to embrace every moment as if it could be the last, because we never can know when it will all come to an end.  And the saddest thing in life is wasted talent! 

Today I make a toast to all of my friends and family, professional network and fans (all 7 of you!) to continuously work on my talent, fine tuning it and putting it out there, all raw and juicy, for the world to see, feel and give back to me through its own reflections, interpretations and imitations.  You know they say, imitation is flattery....so please, by all means, feel free to start speaking in rhyme and prose, whether in your Facebook statuses or in your comments here.  I DO notice when you do ;)

Today, I also see a time line.  365 days of the vigorous work it is going to take to make my dreams a reality!  Every day, an adventure through the unknown, unearthing new challenges and obstacles to overcome through knowledge and diligent practice.  There is much work to do, and it is all presenting itself to me now like a great brick wall that I can only climb one brick at a time!  My next brick? Editing and storyboarding for my illustrator to take the reigns.  I must map out my story onto separate pages and make sure that each page is a compelling concept that kids and parents will truly take something away with them after reading it.  As a perfectionist, this is going to be a very important process, as I only want to put my best foot forward! 

I have many of my favorite books to reread now with a critical eye and to take from them the attributes I loved the most as a kid and now as an adult. Some of these include: Dr. Seuss' The Lorax and Oh! The Places You'll Go, Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are, Munro Leaf's The Story of Ferdinand, Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, Janell Cannon's Stellaluna and other child empowering books that have preceeded me.  Are there any books that you guys think I should look at, too?  What were your favorites as a kid? 

I want to take from the best!  I strive to be better and to produce work that has true value to kids in the world today! Our earth, although it is the same core earth that it was created as, has been influenced by its inhabitants for many moons before us and many more to come.  These influences have changed earth just as our experiences in life affect us, but for our planet, these changes affect its chemistry and longevity.  My greatest achievement will be to provide young people around the world with the tools to change the current set of societal laws and make personal choices that will encourage a lasting and healthier planet overall. 

So...editing and storyboarding.  My NEXT steps on this ever changing journey into publishing my eBook.  I feel that this is MY year to make it happen!  Thanks to YOU for being with me on this journey, encouraging me to keep plugging forward and following my dreams.  I know that I couldn't do it without you! 

So, cheers to YOU!  and Cheers to me, too...
This book writing business involves us two!
The TWO of us doing what it is that we do.
So do what you do, and I will do what I do, too!
And our actions together will become the glue--
That holds this project together
Until the world can see it, too!

Happy Birthday to ME and Salud to YOU!
xOx
Ms.Panda