Photo taken by my son Ryan when the light hit me just perfect
September 12, 1955… the day I was born.
To give a little perspective.
In the 50’s houses cost on average $15,000, a brand new Chrysler New Yorker cost $4,500, and gasoline was about 25 cents a gallon. Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Patti Page and Tony Bennett were amongst the most popular musicians. Sit down in front of your black and white TV and watch Bonanza, Gunsmoke and the Twilight Zone. There were no computers, no internet, no NASA, no iPhone, and no Xbox 360’s.
So what do I want for my birthday, what is my real birthday wish? Here is a short list:
American government, FIX it. Come on, it has been broken for years. Can’t we come up with 2 presidential candidates we can all be proud of and not have to always vote for the best of two really bad choices?
In addition to WORLD peace, I want inner peace. Have not had it for years. My soul left when my son Eric was diagnosed Paranoid Schizophrenic when he was 19 and then died in his sleep over 6 years ago.
I want to feel like I made a real contribution to the world even in my own small way. What kind of legacy will I really leave?
I want my photography to be so unique, interesting and beautiful that I will be unable to keep up with the work.
I want my photography to be valued by more than a passing “like” or a single comment on social networks.
I want to feel young again. I am stiff, sore and inflexible created by a lifetime of sports and orthopedic surgeries. I won the battle of multiple club championships in golf and tennis but lost the war of flexibility. While I am wishing, how about single vision instead of double vision created by my health incident a few months back?
I want to hear one person whisper to another…… “hey, isn’t that Thomas Schmuki, the world famous photographer?”
Two months from now I want to look back and say, “MAN I SHOULD HAVE RETIRED YEARS AGO, now I can do what I really love 24/7 – Photography”
How about a real friend?
I know most of my wishes are unrealistic, but I do frequently think about these things.