Let’s call it a day.

I was talking to a friend the other day explaining “Snap.Shot.” how it started, what it’s all about and how the only way I plan to stop it is, if Sports Illustrated were to allow me to shoot photos at a professional sporting event. Not the finals, not even the Super Bowl, but as a photographer on the field with the official Sports Illustrated pass hanging from my neck. We talked, and I explained that with all that’s going on, this really is pressure I don’t need at this time in my life.

He said, “You know, you can go on hiatus or just stop. It’s not like you’re being paid to do this.” I said, “I know, but I made a personal commitment and I really don’t want to break it.” One of the problems I am having, as I further explained, is I’m running out of things to write about. I have written about animals, kids, sports, cities, life, death, you name it…it was the first time in 211 days when I felt the creative energy running out.

Because of this, I truly began thinking about stopping “Snap.Shot.”and maybe re-starting it in the fall or in 2011. First off, I’m really not sure how many people read it, I don’t even know if they enjoy it, and I just keep writing and “pushing it out to a group of people who I assume spend a few minutes with it” each day. I am not looking for empathy--I am just being honest with you the reader.

I even had plans to publish some of the “Best of the Best Snap. Shot. blogs,” to be written in book form, and given to my family. Some of my favorites like, the one about when I missed the shot of a life time on an airplane, my favorite photo of all time (the giraffes), and of course the articles I wrote about my Mom as she was fighting for her life during the months as she lie in bed dying of cancer. But the only way I could do it, was to start the book explaining how for one solid year, I wrote a blog; and how I wrote it each and every day not missing one single day. Kind of tough when you start out with, “I started this blog called ‘Snap. Shot.’ and wrote for 211 consecutive days” before I decided to quit. Kind of loses some of its punch, you know?

So I slept on it, and today woke up and thought, “I really don’t have the time to devote to keeping up a daily blog.” I considered, writing it once a week or a few times a week, but I know I will stop and not be consistent. Since I have decided not to write every day, I feel it’s best to just quit cold turkey. I will have time to read the paper on the train, do the crossword puzzles, and talk with people I don’t even know to pass this new time I have suddenly found. I have not done any of this in almost 6 months and honestly I miss it.

So, from today on, this will be my last “thanks for stopping by;” it really has been a lot of fun writing each and every day, and I hope you have enjoyed the journey. The photo above was taken outside of a school in Idaho. What people thought was a real school bus, turned out to be a practical joke played on the superintendent. A practical joke…can you believe it? You would think it was April Fools Day or something.

See you tomorrow---there’s no stopping me now!

Thanks for stopping by.