Timing is Everything

Have you ever wondered how things might be different if the timing of an event was altered?   As I pass by motor vehicle accidents I quickly glance at the wreckage while others gawk and create conditions for additional harm.  These accidents occur at a precise time…seconds later or earlier at that exact site would probably offer a different scenario.  There is always a pondering of what if…?

I am sure you have heard the old adage around misfortune and good fortune, “he was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” or, “she was at the right place at the right time.”  Think of victims of drive by shootings in the former or to the latter when a person who gets a job promotion at the same company she works at because the job was only open to internal candidates.  What if either person was in the same place, but at a different moment?  Would the outcome remain the same or would it be different?  Obviously, each situation is different and with each comes a different set of outcomes to consider with varied degrees of significance. 

Years ago, my father was grazed by a bullet fired from a gun wielded by a person he had an altercation with at a social gathering establishment in Denver.  What if the shooter had been more accurate at that moment, or my father moved a couple inches here or there?  One could assume it would likely not be me writing this piece. 

On January 25, 1848 the United States acquired California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming from Mexico via the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo after the Mexican-American War for $15 million after 9 months of negotiations.  Gold was discovered in California on January 24, 1848.¹   What if gold was discovered earlier and Mexico became aware of it?  There would likely be:  no Hollywood, no Lakers, no Dodgers, no Giants, no Angels, no Raiders, no Kings, no In & Out burgers, no Golden Gate Bridge, no Hotel California, and no Austrian Governor, etc.  

On November 24, 1963 President John F. Kennedy was scheduled to meet with his ambassador to Saigon, Henry Cabot Lodge, to finalize the plan regarding the withdrawal of all Americans from Vietnam by 1/1/1965 per his Executive Order (NSAM 263).  JFK was assassinated 2 days prior to the scheduled meeting and the new President, upon ascendency to the position, issued a new EO (NASM 273) that cancelled JFK’s NASM 263.¹   The Vietnam War Era ended on May 15, 1975.   The U.S. suffered over 56,000 casualties in Southeast Asia between 1965 and 1975.²   What if President Kennedy lived long enough to execute his Executive Order?

On 9/11/2001 the United States was attacked by terrorists using commercial airplanes as weapons of mass destruction that has changed our way of life ever since.   Following is an excerpt from an article titled “The Miracle Survivors”:  “Sixteen people survived inside the collapse of the World Trade Center, and they were all in Stairwell B of the North Tower, in the center of the building. The survivors were spread out between floors 22 and 1. A step or two slower meant death, but so, too, did a step or two faster. “³  

Timing is everything!

Sources:

1.     Morris, S. Jr. (2010).  American History Revised: 200 startling facts that never made it into the textbooks.  New York:  Broadway Books.

2.     http://thewall-usa.com/summary.asp

3.     http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/sept11/2003/n_9189

The Moment

This past weekend I had my first “professional” photo opportunity.  I was actually paid to take action pictures of kids playing soccer at a tournament.  My photos would be combined with those taken by 4 other photographers on assignment.  As part of the contractual agreement, all photos were property of the company that hired me and I was not able to add any to my portfolio of photos taken that I am proud to display.  In light of the recent revealing photos sent by a Congressman, it should be noted that all my photos are G-rated J.

There were 3 challenges for the photographers at this event:  1) 100^o temperature, 2) covering 4 games on different fields going on simultaneously, and 3) capturing the “Kodak” moment(s).  The first two were quite manageable, while the latter was more difficult.  Not all games had a lot of memorable occurrences to shoot during the brief time I had at each field.  Nonetheless, I tried to get the best action shots the players would allow me to secure. 

Capturing the moment in a photo is a tricky thing.  The run, the pass, the tricks, the challenge, the header, the shot, the save or the goal, the reactions and emotions, are all activities that take place at one moment in time…less than a second to record that event on film. A second too late or too soon misses the moment you wanted to capture.  And then you have the position of the sun, shadows, positioning and focal length to contend with.   This is where the science of photography comes in.

In soccer championship games when the game ends in a tie after regulation time and overtime the game is decided on penalty kicks.  Final penalty kicks (PKs) are taken 12 yards from the goal line.   Five individuals are selected from each team to attempt to kick the ball past the opposing team’s goalie into the goal.  If a team scores 3 goals in this format and the opponent scores nil, or 4 goals to 1 then the match is over and the celebration begins for the team that scored.  Otherwise whichever team has the best tally after 5 shots wins.  If the teams are still tied after 5 shots, another different 5 players are selected to take PKs.  From that point, all it takes is one goal and one miss by the opposing team to claim victory.  As you can imagine, after pouring all your physical energy onto the pitch in Texas sized heat, these 12-yard shots are significant and capturing the moment is memorable.

As the photographer I had to make split second decisions.  Where do I position myself to take the pictures while remaining sensitive to the shooter and keeper in ensuring that my presence is not a distraction to them - to the side, behind the goal, behind the kicker?  What do I want to capture – the shot, the ball in flight, the dive by the keeper, the blocked shot, the ball going in the net, the relief of the shooter who scores, or the self confident bravo of the keeper who stopped the shot, or the pain the shooter endures when missing a shot?  Once those 2 decisions are made I take my shot(s).  The scene I decide to try to capture is my interpretation of the event.  This is where the artistry of photography appears. 

I came to the realization that the best format to record the PKs is via video recording.  That way you capture everything in real time.  In photography you only get one opportunity to capture the moment…and I wonder if I did???

To see some pictures of the tournament go to www.charismaphotography.net and click on the Copa Al Dia link at the top menu bar.  Only one age group is loaded at the moment…more to follow.

Stress

Last week I was asked how I deal with stress in a job interview. I struggled with one because I rarely see stress because I have learned to effectively manage it over the years.  People who know me consider me to be a Type A personality who is eternally optimistic.  I constantly challenge the clock to reach a destination on time.  I arrive at the airport gate as the announcements for 1^st class boarding begin.  If I have to be at work at 8 a.m., I arrive at my desk ready to begin my work day at 7:59 a.m.  If I go on vacation, I cram as many miles on the rental car each day as I can in 12 hours while trying to see the sights…just ask my family about the Black Hills/Mt. Rushmore/Devil’s Tower/Garden of the Gods/Great Sand Dunes road trip – 3,000 miles in 5 days.  You get the picture…good or bad, I like stressful situations.  My family, not so much J. 

I place people in 3 camps in how they respond to stress.  Camp 1 is people who come unglued and freak.  They sweat, they shake, they get confused and disoriented, they get headaches, they lose the ability to think clearly or rationally, their stomach twists and turns, the blood pressure increases and adrenaline flows as they instantaneously decide to flee or fight (mentally and/or physically).  They often wait for the next shoe to drop or envision doom coming around the corner at any moment believing that they are not able to control their environment.  Camp 2 are people who once were in Camp 1 but now take prescribed medication to help them better cope with stressful events.  Camp 3 are people who remain cool, calm, collected and shrug off stressful events while carrying on as if it were business as usual.  These people have learned stress coping strategies or received the right stuff from their ancestors.  How many people do you know who are in each of the 3 camps?  Which camp are you in?

While the camps allow for a nice way to compartmentalize reactions to stress, there are actually several degrees of stress people experience.  First, stress is a reaction that is as unique as is the individual experiencing it.  As an example, my wife is going on a business trip next week and she started fretting over it the minute she received notice. I on the other hand, would have welcomed that as an opportunity to see or learn something new.  You see for me, every journey, regardless of how many times I have trekked the same path, is a novel experience. 

Think of people who have gravitated toward roles that possess high risk of safety to self or others and are inherently stressful:  doctors, nurses, police, military in combat, pilots, truck drivers, athletes, just to name a few.   In healthcare I see the adrenaline junkies who work in the ER and Trauma units.  Not all in the medical field want or need that kind of  daily stress and I see a high level of burn out of these folks if that job related stress is not managed effectively.  If I were a clinician, I think I would ply my trade in the ER. 

      

Second, stress is situational.  I am convinced that the more times you experience an event the less stressful it becomes.  One year I logged in over 100,000 domestic air miles related to my job.  Each time I boarded the plane I knew there were no guarantees that I would arrive safely, but the odds were heavily in my favour that I would.  Generally, I encounter very little, if any stress related to flying.  One flight that sticks out was a small propeller engine plane that carried me through a wicked thunderstorm as I flew from St. Louis to Memphis…lots and lots of turbulence with significant drops along the way and a lightening strike.  That was one where I was constantly in prayer and making deals to be a better person if I got to the ground in one piece.  Well, I did, and I think I am.  Most people on the plane held a tight grip on the arm rests or to their newfound friend sitting next to them.  As stressful as that trip was for me, each future flight with turbulence paled in comparison and my stress levels and blood pressure were much less than what I encountered on that scary flight.

Third, reactions to stress include inherited genetic DNA.  People in families with histories of high blood pressure have a large propensity to also have HBP.  Frequent responses to stress are certainly unhealthy for people with HBP.  I reside in Camp 3 and I know if I don’t manage my reactions to stress effectively then I also know there are some serious health consequences.  My wife is a natural worrier and she gets that honestly from her mother’s innate disposition.  It’s not that she always expects a poor prognosis, she just doesn’t desire change or uncertainty because she finds it stressful.    For 20 years, I have been preaching to her to look at things differently and let go of those things she can’t control which can be a little or a lot depending on the situation.  I have come to realize that the genetic pull is stronger than my words of self-proclaimed logic and wisdom in managing stress and that leaving Camp 1 and moving to Camp 2 is moving in the right direction. 

One of Many Things I Take for Granted

As much as I try to stay mindful that all the good fortune I have enjoyed is reciprocal to the blessings bestowed on me, I still tend to take things for granted.  Take my peepers for example.  One of the most precious gifts given to me is my sight.   I continuously gaze in wonder of the world about me using my innate lens and expect that this vision will reappear each and every day.  I am a very visual person.  I learn best through observation.  I strongly believe that visual perception is the most significant personal definer of reality.   What if this ability to see was suddenly taken away?

It is estimated that there are 2.5 million “legally blind” people in the United States.¹   Most “legally blind” people have some vision and only 15% are totally blind.²   The definition of legal blindness is a 20/200 visual acuity in the better eye with best lens correction or contraction of peripheral visual fields in the better eye to < 10 degrees or so the widest diameter subtends an angle < 20%.³   Most people encounter visual impairment through aging or disease and significant loss of sight is more often progressive rather than immediate.  

I have had the experience of being “sightless” for 1 day.  As part of my academic study, I took on an internship with a public funded non-profit organization that served the blind and visually impaired.  It became my place of employment for 1 ½ years.  As part of my orientation to the work I was to be doing, I was required to wear a blindfold for an entire day to gain a small glimpse of what my future clients might feel and encounter.  It was truly an eye-opening experience (couldn’t resist the pun).  There were feelings of dependence, loss of control, helplessness, and fear.  Think about how much we depend on our sight as we go through our daily lives.

During this day of orientation, I learned the basics of using a cane to navigate through my surroundings.  I learned to depend on other senses and the importance of tactile becoming a new way to see the world.  On this day, I attended a lunch with the organization’s Board of Directors.  For desert we had cake and I was given the task of cutting it.  Fortunately, someone put the knife in my hand and positioned the cake in front of me.  Everyone got a great laugh at the end result, especially those who were blind.  It was truly a humbling experience.

Over the next 18 months, my role was to help the visually impaired secure employment, and provide support to newly blind individuals via teaching them how to use optical enhancements (magnifiers, computer screen enlargements, etc.) and adaptive equipment in the workplace.  I also facilitated the support group of people who lost their vision as a result of diabetes. 

Among those I served, there were many who appeared lost and defeated after their blindness set in.  And there were others who were determined to live life as if blindness was more of an inconvenience than a disability.  Our role was to help people become as independent as possible.  It is so much easier said than done.

Five blind individuals that I got to know well stood out as being independent.   One was an elderly woman whom I had the privilege of escorting to be recognized by President George H. Bush as a “thousand points of light” recipient.  I worked with two remarkable women who were totally blind.  One was blind from birth and married a totally blind man.   The other lost her sight to a visual disease around 13 years of age and used a guide dog to support her mobility around the city.  The fourth individual was a gentleman who once was a music teacher who lost both his sight and hearing.  The fifth person worked in a bank as a manager utilizing adaptive equipment to support his work effectiveness.  He generously arranged and paid for my wedding night hotel stay.   All 5 of these individuals got about the city of Memphis using public transportation. 

Additionally, I served on the Mayor’s Advisory Council for People with Disabilities and met some incredible people who overcame much to remain independent and were proactive in ensuring this group was not overlooked when civic decisions were being made.

One incident exemplifies the abilities of a person without sight and I use this as an example in my diversity training.  I was charged with creating a promotional brochure for the services the organization provided.  I created the draft, reviewed it along with my 6 co-workers (pre-spell check era, including the Executive Director (pre-spell check era).  We were able to print documents in braille for our 2 blind employees to contribute.  Everyone approved it, save one person.  One of the blind employees found a typo that the sighted group missed. 

My life lesson on this one was that I no longer saw this person as disabled.  She was “differently abled”.  She could read what I could read, only she did it differently and on that occasion, better.  This work experience afforded me to fully appreciate the gifts I have and the realization of what I could lose.  It also reminds me to be thankful for each day that this gift presents itself and not assume that it is one that is guaranteed.

Sources:

1.     http://www.visionsvcb.org/statistics.html

2.     http://www.visionaware.org/low_vision_terms

3.     http://www.aoa.org/documents/CPG-14.pdf