Asheville Wedding and Portrait Photography - Tuesday's Frog Photography: shoot for the moon

Sunday, February 18, 2007

shoot for the moon

Saturday night as I was NOT sleeping I was thinking about wishes. When I was young it was easy to dream up all sorts of things, like being an Olympic gymnast just like Mary Lou Retton (even though I was scared out of my mind to do a backwalkover on the beam.) I realized that as an adult my wishes have become more practical, and, honestly, pretty grounded in reality if I want them to come true. (They also seem to require many, many hints to my husband. heh.)

So what I'm really curious about is what you would wish for if I asked you to shoot for the moon -- if you forgot to be cautious and give it a good day's thought before you answered, what's the first thing that comes to mind? I'll forgive you if your answer is maid service for a year, because I would really, really love that too. But think beyond that - something that seems impossible but it's really not because we've forgotten for the moment that we have limits and cash flow issues and that we're not Oprah.

Speaking of Oprah, I wrote to her a year ago with this very request and she hasn't gotten back to me. (My husband is so totally rolling his eyes right now, and I only share that somewhat embarassing tidbit to validate that this is a big wish.)

But if I could wish for one thing it would be to meet Harper Lee. I don't even really want to discuss the book with her. THE book. Really I'd just love to be a fly on the wall as she hung out with her sister in her house. Or maybe share a cup of tea with her and introduce her to our Harper (and that's really dreaming, because I don't even have a teapot. Maybe she does? Maybe she hates tea...) How I would love to take a portrait of her sitting in our living room. Not stiff, but fun. Look at this recentish article of her - she's totally cute and smiling and happy. I'd love to laugh with her. You know if she wrote a character like Scout that she has to be funny. Feel the brunt of her crotchetiness for putting up with a total stranger. I mean, who am I to invade her space? How I would love to take a portrait of her sitting in my living room. Or her living room. I'm not picky. Hey - Mrs. Lee - come on over (up? Is Alabama below us? I should know this) to western North Carolina. Heck, your book is this year's big read. (But like I said, we don't even have to talk about it.)

Before this starts to sound stalkerish, I'll wrap it up. Basically, that's my wish without restraint: a day with Harper Lee, just as she is. As introverted as I've read that she is, the thought of spending time with a complete stranger would probably wig her out. As introverted as I am it'd wig me out. But that doesn't stop me from wishing it.

So now it's your turn to fill in the blank: If you shot for the moon, you'd wish for....

PS. That cute little wish silhouette is on a card from Paper + Cup. A totally cute stationery store. I added the stars to the side.

Labels: a humorous life

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 9:46 PM

20 Comments:

At 10:29 AM, melissa deakin said…

i love this post, joanna
and i love what you wrote.
i hope Oprah gets back to you...hey, you never know!
i am going to give this a lot of thought, a wish without any restraints...hmmmm.....
At 1:07 PM, Lanna said…

Two wishes here--instant post-grad degree (with all its accompanying knowledge) so I can teach college English.
Second wish--safe world travel to all the places I've read about but are too dangerous or too expensive to visit. Fluency in all of the appropriate languages would be nice, too. :)
At 1:55 PM, Nana said…

To live closer to you guys so I could see Cole and Harper at least once a week!
At 2:06 PM, melissa diekema said…

I love your wish.... but I need to do some serious thinking on mine... :)
At 2:09 PM, Christina said…

I'd like to have my own column in CK, like Ali. To make a living writing articles and making layouts and reading other people's blogs...that would be spectacular.

I would also like to have giant bat wings so I could fly anywhere for free...but I'd like them to be my own little secret, so I could have that whole "more than meets the eye" aura.
At 3:41 PM, Linda said…

I wish for the ear of the President. Not just the current one, but anyone to follow. I would like to be the one they turn toward to discuss and advise on serious issues.

I would also like to be able to do it without my family. I would not want my time away from them to be detrimental (spelling?).
At 3:52 PM, Katy said…

A safe trip around the world with my family.
Or a day spent observing some favorite artists work, without disrupting their "process."
At 6:39 PM, Amy said…

1. I would be a gymnast again: strong, flexible and confident. Not sure if these things are as possible at 30 years old, though.

2. I would be a doctor, so I could open my own practice -- one that focuses on prevention and education, instead of just managing all the diseases that are totally preventable.
At 11:19 PM, sara b said…

This was hard...I thought about it and first I would have to say I wish that I had the mindset I did when I was sixteen. I really felt beautiful, courageous, strong, confident among many other things. I guess that is what happens when you don't care what other people think about you and you don't second guess yourself. So if I were to think about it back then I would probably wish that I was well known for something. I would love to have a talent that I used. People would see me doing it and say "she has a gift". Maybe a chef?!
At 11:39 PM, michele said…

can harper and i come on the outing with you and harper and ms harper lee as well? ;o)

seriously, though ... a day with annie leibovitz. to pick her brain. to talk. to share. to have her critique my work. that i would give my right arm for ... though it's hard to focus and manually set and shoot one-handed ...
At 2:12 AM, shelby said…

my wishes...hmmm. I cant come up with just one...

1) to have the funds and means to have our dream house...the one that has the big garage for Johnny, the nice big (organized) scrapbook room for me and a playroom for Anna...it and it has all of the perfect furniture that I want...not the stinky hand me downs we keep getting...lol!

2) to be able to travel with my family wherever I wanted at anytime

3) to have my late grandma meet Anna...
At 1:10 PM, Maureen said…

Love your wish Joanna!

As for me....I am so bad at making wishes for me. Seriously, I wonder if something is wrong with me that I can't wish big things....only little ones....which are still not so much for me....good health for my family, goodness for my kids, that kind of thing.

and nana's wish above mine, is the sweetest thing ever :)
At 2:57 PM, JoAnn said…

after thinking for a moment about all of the material things I would want, I realized the thing that I would want the very most in my whole life is for my mom to feel well every day of her life (and make it a long one at that). She has some health issues, and had a heart attack 2 years ago, and I don't want her burdened by any of those things any more. That is more important than anything else I really could want. Thanks for making me think about it- I sometimes get so overwhelmed by the "gimmies" that I forget what's most important. I love your blog, by the way- and your work. I am a daily reader!
At 4:23 PM, jrutherford said…

What I've been longing for lately is a break from the daily routine. Just a day to cure the "mommy blues". my husband granted my wish today and took our 2 little girls out. Doing a little crafting, drinking starbucks and sorting baby clothes has been just what the doctor ordered! --jen
At 8:54 PM, gabbyfek said…

ooooooooooh, j, this is so so so perfect.
i love it.
i love your wish.
ooooh i have so many right now....
think think think.
xoxox,
g
At 12:04 AM, KateT said…

Good things come to good people- and well gosh you are good people- real good. I hope you get your wish because that would be soooooooo super cool!!

Mine- hmmmmm... well for a person I'd LOVE to meet Oprah herself :) Sometimes I wish for less fatique and more energy but I am working on that one- trying to push myself to keep doing my Pilates even when I feel like atruck runneth over me :P

Hmmmm I wish all the time that I can be a parent that will leave a lasting impact on my kiddo and the kids that I teach at school. I wish that they grow up to do good and that in some small way I have helped them realise that anything is possible if they work hard and READ, read read!!
At 12:05 AM, Kate T said…

And that housekeeper for a year widh- yeah that's a keepr -for sure :)
At 3:51 PM, Gigi said…

oooohhh!! this is so fun...but it's strange..i'm having a bit of trouble figuring it out...i consider myself to be so lucky with the life i have and what i've been blessed with....but...if there was a free wish....i guess i'd wish for lifetime season tickets to the Philadelphia Eagles....enough for my whole family...that way we'd definitely have plans & get to see each other more often & get to laugh & spend time just hanging & enjoying ourselves.
At 2:42 PM, Hilary said…

Well, one of them is most likely napping.... probably that's it like 90% of the time.
Another one... honestly, I don't think it'd be for me. There are so many times when I see families in AWFUL circumstances at work. I'd probably save my wish for one of them.
Unless, of course, I could wish my parents to live about 1/2 hour away. :)
At 3:32 PM, baje said…

more time - sounds simple, but with two little boys, i just never feel like i have enough. i decided to stay at home so i would not miss out and to have influence on their lives, but now i feel as though i don't have any time for me. if i had more time, i would not feel guilty about doing more for myself. i want to start a business, but how can i do that when i don't even have enough time to shave my legs sometimes! time, or maybe it should be more alone time? oh, and then i need to wish for more energy... how many wishes do i get?