A Letter to Ben Southall

Dear Ben,

     I know you're not a priest, but it's okay, because I'm not really a Catholic.  I have a confession.  I invite you to my present moment.  It is 11:27pm.  I am in a jail.  My body is tired.  I need to post this before the clock strikes 12:01am.  I have posted every day.  I spent the workday chipping ponderosa pine tree piles of brush in order to mitigate wildfire risk.  Wildfire season in the U.S. west is a big threat to many homes and hundreds of thousands of acres of forest lands.  My confession is that I fear I have not made enough noise.

     How did you win 'Best Job In The World'?  I fear I have not had enough time to demonstrate my passion for winning this contest.  To be considered a part of the top ten and flown to the UK - it would be the start of a travel dream I never imagined to be affordable and within my means.  I didn't grow up in a home where traveling was a part of the norm... but dreaming was.  I dream of winning this and with 13 days left, I fear I have not done enough.

  My time has been spent honoring the commitment to community service that I made.  Who will ever see this post?  Without the right level of networking and attention, what good are my words?  My hopes?  How do I make demonstration of it?!

     I should really like to go out for tea with you.  We can stand beside eachother and pose for a photo with our thumbs up.

     In all your life, what did you ever want most for yourself?  What drove you to depths of unimaginable thirst and hope and passion?  What do your days consist of now?  Was your contest the inspiration for this contest by MyDestination and its partners?  What is the best job in the world?

     I have spent too much time looking at entries tonight.  Veronique Morrisette has a great commentary feed on her YouTube video.  It gave me the names of all the people w/ biggest numbers of votes... people to keep an eye on.  I kept thinking how massive their numbers were... and yet how small compared to the presidential elections and American Idol...

     With what seems like so few days left, I am starting to feel desperation grow inside me.  I tug at the attention spans of those responsible for allowing me a shot at this beautiful opportunity.  Please pick me.  Please and thank you,

and thank you for hearing my confession.

I suspect you are a good man.

Good Night & Good Luck,

Samantha