I can't believe my eyes

[Werecat465476500]

The best thing has happened to me...I had an article of mine published in the local paper, and it's TMNT realated.  Basically I entered into a contest that the paper was having, which was a person could right about any topic that was listed in the registry form.  One of the topic was a person or persons who most influenced you, so I picked Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, and TMNT...well here's the winning article... ______________________________________________________________________        I stare blankly at an open document file, wondering what to write.  Should it be a poem, a short story, or a novel that I will probably never finish within a year. All are possibilities.  I look across the room to a doll from my childhood.  I smile at it like a kid staring at a handful of free candy.  It smiles back it some odd way by using its little beaded eyes, green fur, and soft stuffed shell.  My inspiration hits me as I stare at a small Ninja Turtle doll I have had since before I could remember before I found myself within the lost world. It is okay to laugh; I really do not care.  Thanks to the creators of the sewer dwelling mutants in a half shell, Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, I changed my perspective on life.  When I was younger, I rarely had the commodity of friendship to stop my loneliness.  Ironically, I found companionship in the four turtles.  Just as society shunned them, the people ostracized me in my class.  I found myself facing abuse from many different angles, but I always stayed strong, like my reptilian friends.  With the help of the turtles and the ones who created them, I came out of my shell and began to pursue activities that made me feel good about myself.        To show my thanks to the creators, I began to write stories, at first short stories, then longer ones.  This writing made me aspire to write more and more everyday.  I found an untouched talent in writing through my gratitude to my influences.  I just wish I could tell them how much I idolize them for their imagination and creativity, and how just a few sketches brought to life a world of perspective to all who came near it. I am very thankful that Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman pursued the idea of the solitary turtles and their constant battle versus the Shredder. If by chance they chose to forget about the idea, not only me, but tons of people would be affected in a negative way.  I might still be the wallflower I once was, staying in the back of the classroom, wondering why I was the way I was.  I am very lucky: I was shown an inspiration to become more, and I took the chance to stand out.  ______________________________________________________________________ Well that's it in a nut shell.  I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, and doesn't eat to much...lol... Jackie