OK, Top 10 Events in Your Life aaaannnd … GO!
My 35th high school reunion .. reconnecting with friends I haven’t seen in eons and dancing with the astoundingly beautiful girls that I could have never imagined dancing with 35 years earlier …
The birth of my gorgeous daughter; bringing home my adopted all-boy son at the ripe old age of 31 days on the planet …
Going to see my childhood musical heroes, The Monkees, at a reunion concert with my date and a select few of my closest friends in the universe …
In my 53 years and counting, these made the “Mike Fernandez Top 10 Life Events of All Time.” Taking a wistful-yet hopeful look toward next year – and at the same time contemplating the present days and reflecting on what was (and could have been) in 2010 – my thoughts turned to those memorable milestones that have not only shaped me, but MOVED me on this often perilous and fragile journey.
While the task may seem daunting, the criteria for tonight’s Top 10 (apologies, Mr. Letterman) was simple: What are those events/circumstances that I vividly remember, in minute detail, that still put a smile on my face and a stirring in my heart days, months and years removed?
Yes, question from the back: “Hey thanks for sharing Mike. So what’s taking a stroll down your personal memory lane have to do with writing?”
So glad you asked. Pretty much everything.
Writing is about passion … description … detail … emotion. It’s about a personal connection with you and the one who reads. When you come to a place where you discover that what you’ve just written is nothing but rote, try the “Personal Top 10 Life Events” exercise. Go ahead. Give it a try. Awaken a few personal memories and stir the soul.
For you .. and, ultimately, your audience …
Mike, your ability to capture life’s monumental, unforgettable moments not only gave me goosebumps but set me to thinking about my own top ten. As I began to compile my list I started to realize that I have been blessed with such a bounty of memorable experiences that I would have a hard time nailing down the top ten….but in the days to come I am going to be thinking about it and writing in my journal about it, and when I arrive at my list, I am going to make sure I get in touch with the people who have been a part of the events on my list and make sure they know that they were unforgettable….(Hey by the way, I have no doubt, that you will be on the list Mike!) Thanks so much for sharing you list and for your gift of the written word.
Awesome! Mike is blogging! I look forward to you sharing some of your dementia (and hopefully taking some of the pressure off of me).
Lorrie Harden kept pushing me to blog, when I wasn’t even sure what a blog was. I decided to follow the advice of many writers and to write what I know. what I’ve experienced and lived. But most importantly, hopefully make people laugh.
I’m looking forward to more from you!!