FIRST ANNIVERSARY!!

"Reinvention..." has reached a milestone...a One-year Anniversary. 

On September 7, 2009, I wrote and published my very first post.  It was, in fact, Labor Day one year ago.  I wrote about a little amusement park in the Chicago area that was closing. 

http://tom-samp-journal.blogspot.com/2009/09/daily-journal-september-7-2009.html

I looked back at this significant place from my childhood, and from there, sought to explore the future while understanding what had gone before.

And this journal was born.

Not a day has passed in the past year when I have not thought about, agonized and labored over, or pondered what has transpired here.  To some, the process of a blog is simply an everyday activity.  To me, it is a legacy, an exercise, a way to reach out, a quest for understanding.  I know that words can change lives, and in turn change worlds.  I hope that my readers have enjoyed, learned, questioned, and were encouraged by what they found here.

Have I succeeded in "reinventing" myself?  Better yet, have I finally defined that term?  What has it been about my love of dogs, passion for movies, quest for new books, and search for meaning in a chaotic world, that has made me a different person from a year before?  

Mostly, it has been the process, the thinking, and the inspiration to see my personal loves and activities through a lens with which I have attempted to record my point of view, and put it out there in hopes that others will see the world as I see it.

Have you gained a new perspective? Shaken your head in disbelief?  Rallied to my cause?  Struggled along with me in my confusion?  Did the fog lift sometimes for your own clarity?

I followed my heart,, and mind, and interests....Sometimes I let the world dictate the topic.  Mostly, it was a need to resolve something, or share a laugh, or display my pride and expertise in a distinct world of film in hopes that someone else would be as excited as I was.  Or maybe it was a need to seek or to provide comfort, or cry, as dog stories usually require.

Anyway, I thank all of you for reading, and for becoming a friend to me. 

I am putting the blog away for a very brief time, in search of new adventures, to explore a new area, and to fill the pipeline for Year Two of shared stories, Movie Reviews, and shelter antics.  Will I put my Italian to practical use?  Will I finally adopt a dog?  What will I think of the latest films?  Why are some old favorites still so important to me?  Will Oscar be golden? Will I finally write the Great American Short Story?  Will I leave behind a Classic Novel?  Will I one day accept a Screenplay Oscar of my own? 

Be well....keep reading...and writing.....I look forward to getting back, in a week, or so.

If we stop reinventing ourselves, we stop living.  Hope you'll join me in the effort!

TOM