When I am feeling overwhelmed by the possibilities of tomorrow, the reality of the day, and the fact that too many are dwelling in yesterday…I have a ritual, of sorts:
First I grab my 50 year old Bible and re-read 1st Timothy 4:14…”Do not neglect the gift that was given you…” My Pastor gave me this verse at the conclusion of my Lutheran confirmation.
This always energizes me, even though, 48 years later, I am still not quite sure what I am not supposed to neglect.
Next comes a movie…I have learned much of what I understand about human interaction from TV and Movies…others tell me they like to read, but I much prefer to watch and listen.
Sometimes the movie is given to me via channel surfing, sometimes I am instantly aware of what I NEED to watch, other times I peruse my video library for the title that works.
Then, I write, sometimes here, sometimes on a note pad, sometimes a letter or an email to a friend, occasionally I write a short story and ever more rarely I start to write another novel.
Finally, I watch for the directional sign, pointing me to the next project, the next task, the next idea that I am destined to pursue.

Occasionally, during my adult life, this process has worked incredibly well allowing me to move comfortably down destiny’s path.  Other times ALL signs seem to say “dead end” or merely
“Stop”.

Most recently I watched “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (the original), went to see “The Grand Budapest Hotel” accompanied by some incredibly depressing and pathetic previews of coming attractions, and contemplated what it all meant before sitting down to author this post.

From Invasion of the Body Snatchers I felt reassured that I am not destined to fall asleep and become a POD person.  From the previews I realized that I am not of the Millenial/Gen-X mindset and that spending creative energy trying to satisfy this audience would be neglecting my gift.  And from the Grand Budapest, I took away a sense that quality visuals and old world craftsmanship is appealing to just about everyone.

Writing software has been my livelihood for most of my 35 year career and, while I have no problem passing the LED to the next generation of bit heads, I fear that
most of them, will look for a wick, while I am looking for another way to earn a living.  On the other hand, there is something to be said for continuing to write exemplary,
unique solutions that utilize the latest technology to generate a quality visual experience while taking advantage full advantage of old world craftsmanship.

I’ve got a lot to learn, but I can still shed light on that which perplexes and confounds.  Besides, someone has to warn people that there is a reason they made it a little i with an all caps POD “they are everywhere, you’re next! YOU’RE NEXT!”