Taking Action-Happy New Year 2014

by teresa, 51art

At 11:55pm, I stood on the footbridge overlooking the East River.  It was December 31, 2013.  The sky was clear, the air was crisp, the temperature was below freezing.  It was dark except for the few passing cars below on the FDR and the street lights in the distance.  There wasn’t a soul around .

This footbridge I have referenced many times to everyone I know:  the bridge project photographed from demolition to ribbon cutting.  But for some reason up until tonight, I have hit a block not knowing how to move forward and complete what I anticipate to be a really great story.

Excuses include:  I need to learn Final Cut X to make this a documentary film;  there are 1000’s of images to go through and edit to find the right mix;  other projects keep taking priority.  And so on.  The truth be told, all of these are true, but as with anything if you never start then it will never amount to anything.

As I stood on this bridge with my little dog Kodi, I called my mom on Cape Cod to count down to 2014.  She had it on TV.  10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And with that she had a sip of Champagne for both of us.  It was now 2014.  How were we going to make this a special year?

The fireworks sounded in the distance from Central Park.  There was joy, excitement and POSSIBILITY in the air.

Kodi and I headed down the ramp of the bridge, back to our apartment to toast in The New Year.

It has been a tradition to have a piece of Pickled Herring as part of the “good luck” celebration.  (I really don’t know where this began, but hate to tempt fate…)  So I shared a piece with Kodi and washed it down with a fabulous red wine.

With a clean slate ahead, I made the decision that this project will be completed this year.

That means, every day an entry to this blog will happen.  They will tell the story of the actual events, the historical impact to the community and the people involved in making it happen.

Today is day one.

Happy New Year!