The wheels of progress turn slowly but they are turning. Just making the best of an opportunity feels great. I learned long ago that it’s not necessarily the tools/equipment or title on a business card that make your work. It’s what you do each day at the job, in your relationships, and what you do for your family and fellow man. Not taking things for granted or seeing what you have as a limitation, but an opportunity.

For instance, I’ve never embraced using the smartphone as a camera. An old-school attitude that it isn’t a camera stopped me most times. I’ve decided to remove that obstacle in my thinking when I get my new phone this week I’ll begin that journey. It’s not like I don’t carry my camera bag everywhere I go. I do and it’s getting heavier the older I get. No, I’m not giving up on that Nikon glass that weighs a ton but I just need to make the best of all my tools.

The next thing I’ve taken for granted is the gift of time. Now that might seem contrary to what I write about being so busy every minute of the day. And I am but that doesn’t mean you can’t multitask. Hell, I’ve been doing it at the job for decades, I might as well incorporate it more into my daily routines. So instead of watching the TV during treadmill time, I’ll think about what I can photograph or write about or create.

I’ve been utilizing my break time at work to usually edit or upload a few images while woofing down some late-night dinner. I know I have to do better in the mornings of workdays. I’m usually so exhausted in the mornings from a lack of rest that I’m slow to get started. So I’m starting work on my blog earlier in the day and hopefully posting earlier or maybe multiple posts in a day.

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I’m starting to feel like the time is getting close to scaling back on the job that pays the bills. It’s odd that part of the impetus now wasn’t even part of the equation leading up to this point. And that is I just don’t feel as sharp as I used to. And that is quite troubling being I hold myself to standards I’ve worked under for decades.

I’ve always worked in pressure-filled areas with many daily deadlines and if something goes boom we are the first to hear and have to act. None of that has ever phased me. I explain it as a bit of a combination of emergency room nurse, doctor, and surgeon but in the area of IT. For the first time since I was a rookie doing some things, nerves have come into the picture. The confidence that was never in question is shaken. Not sure what triggered it, maybe just a bad day.

Anyway, I’m probably going to try to overcompensate now so we will see if it was a fluke or something to worry about.

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Random Thoughts of the Day

• Unsweetened Iced Tea – my new beverage, not by choice but by compromise.
• I don’t know how some are oblivious to the pain many are suffering from gun violence. It makes me nauseous every time I hear of one of these daily tragedies.
• I hope to live on with my family and friends through my photos and writings long after I’m gone.
• Success always has lots of people behind it, even if you think you did it yourself.
• Happy Birthday, Dad. I was showing my son the picture of you holding me when I was the age of his son now and how much we resembled each other.