A little New Year Greeting
from Wesselsgade, Copenhagen,
Denmark, North Europe
 

2003 was the year when SPAM came into my life.
Now, are WE getting tired of junkmail?
I am sure you must be as fed up as I am with people wasting your time.

There is a risk that this letter is going to be just that: A waste of your time. I guess it depends on your relationship with its writer... – these lines are primarily written as a response to the dozen of New Year letters I have been getting from old and new friends from all corners of the globe.

Somehow, over the years I'm getting more and more fond of this tradition of writing each other every year in December, brushing up the old connections that would otherwise fade away and be forgotten too quickly.
Queens and prime ministers make New Year speaches on tv.
I think we should ALL make our little speaches for ourselves – not on tv, but at the dinner table. Or in a letter. Look back at the year that went, and prepare ourselves for the year to come. Look forward. What to expect. Goals to be set.
With the quietness of the holidays contrasting the climax of deadlines and busy schedules in December, New Year is as good a time as any to make up your mind.


 Video clip
[31st of December 2003 at 16:47]



Make up your mind...

Last year, I made a couple of decisions on New Years Eve.
Told everyone about them.
And what happened?
They carried themselves out and actually turned into reality.

As such, I feel a little proud to announce that I finally succeeded making a number of changes in my life that I've talked about for a decade. This time around, it wasn't just the usual "bla-bla" that I've heard myself saying for so many of the previous years.

One thing I decided last year was that I had wasted enough time on working for money.
Instead, making music came in as a new priority in my calendar.
I started my own production company, published a CD-album of my sister's, and produced my first tv documentary.
Didn't get rich, but somehow got a lot happier.

2003 was the year I quit my steady 6.000 dollar-a-month job in the Danish Broadcasting Corporation to open up for changes, new challenges, freedom to travel, to make my own priorities.
There was an Images of Asia festival, there was a number of job-offers that came up… which meant that eventually, I didn't actually see much of that "quality time" and freedom that I had been striving for.
2003 turned out to be yet another year full of work, assignments, deadlines.

Now... 2004 is going to be different.
I want to take things to the next level, as they say.

In february, I'm starting a new job – entering a new profession. I'm not sure if it is going to work, but I am going to give it a try. With the assistance of my new partner in life, my Sony DVCAM PDX10, I want to turn all my dreaming into not only a style of life, but also a way of making a living. I want to become a professional dreamer.
To go places and to work with people who also have dreams in their mind.
To make less compromises, to take pleasure in taking risks, economically as well as traveling-wise. To get inspired – and to have created enough free space in the calendar to be able to act instanly on new inspiring ideas when they crop up.
Is it too much to ask that to want to feel on top of the world?
“Top of the world” – where is that? The globe is round like a beach ball, and, seen from the distance, actually relatively topless. In my experience there is no “top” out there to go hunting and searching for, the feeling on top of the world is a feeling which starts from something that happens inside ourselves, and just like happiness, it is volatile, it quickly evaporates. But through living out, for, by and with dreams, the periods of feeling on top of the world somehow become more frequent and longer lasting.
Is it possible to be a dreamer and not starve to death, or get killed in an armed robbery? Is it possible to be a dreamer and still be trusted?

Stay tuned. In a year's time, I'll let you know how it went with my new job in the profession of dreams.

If you have time and feel like knowing more about what we've been up to over here during the holidays, here is my Christmas postcard from Risskov: http://mikaidt.dk/2003/christmas.html


Wishing you the best of luck, lots of laughter, dancing and good experiences in the new year!

With love from
Mik, 31.12.2003, 16:47

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:11:17 +0100
Subject:  Re: New Year 2004 Greeting from Mik

Hey Mik,

Very nice little video. I whish a happy dream time, and lots of powerful dreams, to come true.

Love, Ilya.

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:49:59 +0100
Subject:  RE: New Year 2004 Greeting

Just had a read of your Christmas postcard and the 2004 Year of the Dreamer postcard, both very very special thank you.  Lovely images in there of your family which look so warm and christmassy!

Hope you have a wonderful first day of the year :-)))

Deb
xxx

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:59:21 +0100
Subject:  SV: New Year 2004 Greeting from Mik

Hi Mik.

Tak for hilsenen, og godt nytår til dig også..
Og tillykke med jobbet.. jeg sidder stadig på min pind, men er ok med det, for now.

Vi ses.  :-)


Kærlig hilsen Peter K.

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 16:37:53 +0100
Subject:  Re: New Year 2004 Greeting from Mik

Mik,

That's great!  We like the video, and the text card is wonderful!  I like your wonderful plant of dreams...is it a succulent of some sort?

Our holiday e-card had a few plans for 2004, but dreams, to me, are more lofty, more ethereal... I have to think about my dreams for 2004.

The sun has just burned off some highly uncommon clouds, and Laura and I are off for a morning walk.

TTYL!!!

Mike

Fri, 02 Jan 2004 16:18:16 +0100
Subject:  Re:New Year 2004 Greeting from Mik

Hej Mik
Tak for din hilsen og tillykke med dit nye job det lyder perfekt for dig - jeg sender ønsker om forsoning og livsglæde til vores trætte klode, og personligt at mine visioner vil blive mere tydelige for mig selv og andre gennem samarbejdsprojekter, rejser og leg - de bedste ønsker om et vidunderligt inspirerende og lykkebringende 2004!

Heidi

Sun, 04 Jan 2004 15:22:36 +0100
Subject:  SV: New Year 2004 Greeting from Mik

Kære Mik

Din mail var den første jeg åbnede her den første arbejds"aften" efter en lang og dejlig ferie.... Hvor jeg imidlertid ved, at der bliver så meget i morgen, at jeg har valgt lige at tage det værste tryk her aftenen inden.

OG hvor var det dog en dejlig mail at mødes med!

Jo tak i lige måde - rigtig godt nytår! Mine fortsæt går ikke så meget på at komme vidt omkring.... Det må vist vente lidt. Til gengæld har jeg sat mig for at det nu må være tid til igen at være lidt mere udadrettet i forhold til venner og "aktiviteter" (læs: ikke arbejde) udenfor hjemmet.

Jeg håber du stadig svæver lige så højt som lige før jul!

Vi ses
KH Tina

Mon, 05 Jan 2004 13:29:55 +0100
Subject:  Re:New Year 2004 Greeting from Mik

Kære Mik

Tak for din meget fine Nytårs hilsen. Ja nu er De igen landet på Mars og det bekræfter at livet er skabt af drømme og træer.
Også mange Nytårs hilsner til dig fra
Palle V

Mon, 05 Jan 2004 15:00:09 +0100
Subject:  tillykke

Hej Mik.

Happy new year til dig. Og tillykke. Det lyder som om du har skudt papegøjen.

Gad vide om det viser sig at holde stik, - er det dit nye job som gir adgang til globetrotter-fantasierne?

Hvad hedder firmaet, - det kunne jeg ikke helt få fat i.

Hvornår starter du?


Mange sne-hilsner fra Midtjylland

Lis

Tue, 06 Jan 2004 01:31:19 +0100
Subject:  Re: New Year 2004 Greeting from Mik

Kære Mik!
Tak for din nytårshilsen! Også godt nytår til dig! Et nyt år er som en gave, der skal pakkes langsomt ud, den kan indeholde gode overraskelser og ting man hellere ville være foruden, først den 31.12. kender man hele indholdet.
Det er lidt fascinerende..
Nå, men jeg er i gang med at skrive om dansk madkultur i 70erne. Hvis du falder over noget, vil jeg da gerne have et tip.
Kærlig hilsen Søs.

Tue, 06 Jan 2004 17:17:27 +0100
Subject:  SV: New Year 2004 Greeting from Mik

Kære Mik

T I L L Y Y Y Y Y Y Y K K E med det nye job :-))

Hvor ER jeg bare glad på dine vegne...
Professionel drømmer...
Ja, man skal høre meget før ørene falder af..men jeg må altså høre lidt nærmere om det...

Hvor er det bare STORT !!
Mange tak for en rigtig fin nytårshilsen...

Vi ses Mr. Dreamworker :-)

Kh
Tanja

Tue, 13 Jan 2004 08:24:07 +0100
Subject:  tillykke
 
Kære Mik - tusinde tak for din nytårshilsen!
Og du har fået nyt job - lyder skide spændende - kunne man få noget mere at vide.

kh
NO
Niels Ole Krogh
Journalist (DJ)