Thought process...

Since I've changed my topic, I've been spending a lot of time brain storming and doing the initial research to come up with a set plan. My first step was to take all of the letters I had and copy/scan them so that I had versions to write my thoughts all over and be able to reproduce more to mark up. (which took so long!) Then, I started going through the letters and taking out quotes from each letter that summed it up. I wrote them on flashcards so that it was easier for me to sort through them and stay organized, and I ended up realizing that most of the letters themes are to focus on the journey not the destination and to live in the moment.

The quotes that I decided express that are:

"Enjoy where you are, where you are going and the journey in between"

"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." -Greg Anderson

"Take time to enjoy whatever moment you are in before moving on to the next one!"

"So, know that at any point where Yin - dark, down, perhaps sad - may be winning out, very soon thereafter Yang - bright, up, happy - will shift and displace Yin. Trust that it will, look for it to arrive and welcome it when it does! Be aware of - and as importantly learn from - the contrasting experiences!"

"I am left to conclude that sometimes joy is found in the journey itself and not the destination." (a re-quote from my dad of the Greg Anderson quote he used)

"Every moment in the here and now is a future memory so cherish the moment!"

"What matters is to live in the present, live now, for every moment is now. It is your thoughts and acts of the moment that create your future. The outline of your future path already exists, for you created it's pattern by your past." - Sai Baba

"I am encouraging you to not limit yourself to self perceived boundaries, to be aware of the journeys or enlightenment ahead of you and learn all that you can from them."

"It just seems that, like the waves in the ocean, the future keeps lapping at our feet and receding to make way for the next wave. I think every so often we need to look up from enjoying the waves and appreciate the beauty and magnificence of the ocean and sky and sand and sun and person sitting next to us"

"So, while I believe it is important to stop and smell the roses [or insert your favorite flower here] I think it is at least important, and perhaps more so, to stop and listen..."

"Or, maybe the thrill of the ride and uncertainty of where you will bounce next is an experience beyond belief."

After I decided what the over all theme I want to focus on is, I spent some time seeing what days the letters were written (28 on Fridays, 7 on Thursdays, 1 on a Monday, and 1 on a Tuesday) and then I took those dates and used my old calendars/daily planners to figure out where I was on those days while my dad was writing the letters to me. I'm not really sure what (or if) I'm going to use any of that information, but it was a good exercise to record all the information and let my brain try to put pieces together.

Other than all of the documenting/organizing I've been doing with the information, I've mostly been brainstorming. I came across an image of the inauguration ball:

and that got me thinking about how living in the moment and fully experiencing the journey is often tainted by the over abundance of technology. I haven't figured out exactly how I want to incorporate that, but I thought it was interesting.

I still want to make some sort of book, mostly because I haven't come up with how to execute my ideas so I thought that starting a book would give me something to do and help my ideas flow. I was thinking of taking the letters and emphasizing the quotes that I've already taken from them along with possibly depicting what I was doing or what was going on in my life and the world when they were sent to me so that the whole book would show my journey through college. As of now the piece would just be a way that people could better see and understand how my idea came about. But, as usual, I'm still not sure.

After all this I feel like I'm finally starting to get a topic and slowly discovering a direction to go that I'll be passionate about.