"15 Minutes!"

Just about everyone enjoys some sort of recognition.  The sweetest sound to most peoples' ears is the sound of their own name.  We love to see our name in print and if there's a picture of us above our name, better yet.  We feel a great sense of satisfaction.  I think this represents confirmation of self.  We most definitely exist if our picture and name are there for all the world to see and these may very well remain intact long after we're gone from this Earth.

And then there's that 15 minute of fame about which we've heard since Andy Warhol introduced the observation and phrase back in 1968.  The world of journaling has provided many people with this much sought after slice of fame.  The people whose journals get selected as Editor's Pick enjoy not only 15 minutes of fame but almost a full week as well while their journal is showcased on the AOL screen.  Quite an honor indeed!  Now we're gearing up for the first, TA DA! anniversary of AOL Journal Awards.  It's the Academy Awards for the journalists.  Oh, the suspense!  Who will win the golden keyboard?  There are certainly enough categories and opportunites for just about everyone to fit in somewhere if, in fact, they got nominated by their peers.  If there were a category included that called for "making the least use of graphics, clip-art and photos, at least one of my journals would be a shoe-in!

Good luck to all of you whose journals are up for consideration.  To the rest of you I say, keep on writing and enjoying your journals.  We know our worth.  They are all unique and reflect a great deal of time, interest and thought.  These things are worthy of note and I, for one, enjoy the peek they allow me into so many different lives, ideas and experiences.