BREAKING NEWS – Page 2 – Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“All our dreams can come true,
if we have the courage to pursue them.”
Walt Disney

The Great El Capitan in Yosemite National Park as painted by Albert Bierstadt.

The Great El Capitan in Yosemite National Park painted by Albert Bierstadt.

For the past few weeks, the news has been covering the free-climbing of El Capitan by two young determined men. The men made history Thursday, January 15, 2015 when they reached the top of El Capitan.

With daily news of terrorist attacks, blizzard killing storms and a dysfunctional Congress, this ascend by two steadfast men gives us all a glimmer of hope.

Perseverance. Team Work. A positive attitude. These are just some of the virtues that these climbers of El Capitan had to help them climb this historic mountain in Yosemite. But their real inspiration they said came from their families and each other.

Their climb to the top of El Capitan is an example of what can be achieved when you set your mind to something. I know I will never ever climb to the top of El Capitan. Mostly because I suffer from acute mountain sickness. However, I do believe that we should always reach for the stars. Always reach for the impossible. Sometimes achieving it. But most important is to never stop dreaming big.

Shine On

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget
how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou

This year began with reading one of the books on my 100 books to read before you die list. It was an extremely difficult book to get through, but I am proud to say I finished it. The book was, “The Last of the Mohicans” by James Fenimore Cooper.

Whenever I read a book, I always Google the author and read about their life. James Fenimore Cooper, I learned, had a much privileged life. Both he and his wife were authors and came from wealthy backgrounds.

The second book I read the first week of January was, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, written by Harper Lee. I’d seen the movie several times, but had never took the time to read the book. Of course, I Googled Harper Lee and was surprised to learn she is still alive, and that it was the only book she ever wrote and published.

As a “wannabe” writer, I was stunned that such an accomplished writer, with numerous awards and honors never wrote another novel. She did write a few articles in the 1960’s and one recent letter to Oprah Winfrey in 2006, but that was all she wrote.

I believe the success of Harper Lee’s novel was due mostly because she wrote such realistic and compelling dialogue. Also, the storyline was relevant to what was happening in the United States history during the 1960’s, when the book was published.

Harper Lee may be a “one hit wonder”, with her book “To Kill a Mockingbird”, but that one hit was read around the world.

Shine On