Book I 💙: The Art of Making Memories

There's a quote I've read that says "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear". I had this kind of experience recently.

When I started the Revive55 Project, I searched for books, websites and podcasts to learn as much as I could about preserving memories. I found a few and have been reading and listening since.

I already knew a lot about making photo albums from my years as a Creative Memories Consultant. I wanted to learn even more though.

I recognized that digital photography and social media changed the way we make, share and preserve our memories. I wanted to spend the 55 weeks learning and updating the way I used to preserve memories and recognize which memories were the most meaningful.

I am just realizing that the story I'm going to share begins Thanksgiving weekend. I am so thankful for this story so I love that I opened an email from Indigo on Thanksgiving Sunday. I rarely click on regular emails from them but for some reason, I did that day. In the email it didn't show a book I was interested in but for some reason, I clicked on it anyway. Scrolling down through the list of bestselling books, I saw this one:

Coincidence? Serendipity? I immediately walked to Indigo to pick it up. It is EXACTLY what the Revive55 Project is all about. 

When I started reading it, I was a little sad in a way because I read about things that I had thought of using as my own in my posts. On the super positive side however, it is saving me SO much time because the book has all the scientific research to back everything up.

As excited as I was to be reading it, I was trying to slow myself down because I wanted to savour it. A week later, I received an email from a friend who thought of me when she received an inviration to an event coming up in Toronto.

Ten days after I bought the book, the author would be in Toronto!

Why is Meik Wiking in Toronto promoting his book? I couldn't believe my luck. Not only had I found a book that would improve my Revive55 Project but I would get to hear the author speak.

I devoured the book before the event and absolutely loved it! It was above and beyond what I had been searching for.

The timing couldn't have been better. I had already written quite a bit of ideas of where I wanted the Revive55 Project to go. I already had thought of many of the things in the book, so I don't feel like I would be copying what was in the book. It came early enough in the process though that it has changed how I see some things. I really feel like I took a huge leap forward by reading the book.

After his talk, I got to meet Meik. I told him that I believe that I will remember reading his book as a before and after moment. My Revive55 Project before reading his book will be different to the project after reading The Art of Making Memories.

Meik Wiking may not actually be my teacher, but reading his book has been very educational for me. 

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

I highly recommend it to anyone interested in making and preserving memories.