Day 15: Polaroids

I have a confession to make. I had started this blog with a great deal of enthusiam but for the past couple of days, I had been finding it increasingly overwhelming. The thought of having to make this happen for 1000 days in a row was, in itself, overwhelming. And it didn't help when a few people I met told me that 1000 days is a loooooong time. To make matters worse, I found it pretty difficult to write after I get back home from a long, tiring day of work. It had been a struggle to complete quite a few entries late at night after work. That's when I started to feel that, maybe this wasn't that great an idea after all. But today I stand corrected. Great idea or not, I will see this through to completion.

A friend of mine messaged me on chat today. He sent me a link saying that he liked the idea of my blog and it reminded him of something he had read a while ago. I followed the link.

It told me the story of a man who took polaroid pictures every single day of his life for 18 years, until the day he died of cancer at the age of 41.

Every Single Day. For 18 Years. Until the day he died.

I felt so... small. Here was the story of a wonderfully passionate and determined man who continued his polariod life-capturing pursuit for 18 whole years, even during his cancerous days. And here I was, thinking of giving up something even before 18 days. What a slap on the face that is.

The most beautiful part of the whole experience was how I connected with this man. We seemed to have so much in common. He was a film maker and in a small way, so am I. He was a musician and in a very small way, so was I. He looked like an ordinary guy, the kind that you would not glance at twice in a crowd, and so am I. His photos tell us that he wanted to make the most of everything, and I believe so do I. And last but most importantly, he and I shared the need to chronicle each day of our lives, identifying something special that made it worth living.

His names was Jamie Livingston.

He kept it going for 18 years. I need to keep it going for 1000 days.

As a very humble gesture of respect, I dedicate this entry to him.

Jamie Livingston - Thank you for the inspiration.

985 more to go.

(This is the link my friend share with me: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/15131)