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For the last year I've been struggling for interesting subjects to shoot.  Well, I've been struggling for subjects other than my one-year-old.  Those of you who have done the stay-at-home-parent gig will know what I mean.

My neck hurt. My shoulder hurt. My monopod was useless.

Why?

High school football fields are notoriously under-lit. That is, they're DARK as far as photography is concerned. That meant they I had to use the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens to have any hope of getting properly exposed photos.  It's a great lens. It's also a heavy lens. Therein lies the (neck) rub.

I shot some interesting photos last night at a fireworks show. While my 16 month-old was trying to catch the fireworks in his hands, I was lost in my process. Then, a voice interrupted me. The woman, who had been seated to my left, asked if I was taking video or still-photos.

I replied, "Stills."

“…in most jobs that involve a customer, [emotional labor] is all you are getting paid for." -Seth Godin

 If a job or task can be done by a robot or computer, it likely already is or will be.   People who do jobs that don’t require some emotional element are easily replaced.

 Emotional labor is the work that makes you feel tired even though you’ve been sitting in a chair all day.  

 Emotional labor is the work of connecting.  

A friend who is a rabbi told me why Hebrew is often written without vowel points. He said that the holy books are not considered the to be a word from God until they are breathed. That's right...breathed...spoken...inspired. He then went on to talk about the ruach...the breath... that moved in the Judaeo-Christian view of creation. As he spoke, it seemed that speech itself and the breath that made it possible were tools of power by which the divine entered into the mundane.

It seemed like everyone was in the hallways. They weren't doing anything of note. They were just...talking. Some were talking animatedly with gestures that needed no words. Some seemed so relaxed with expressions of pleasure on their faces as they chatted. In one corner three men with furrowed brows conferred in a seemingly serious manner. Others milled about accepting greetings from those who hurried by. It was time. Suddenly, the various huddles broke and everyone scurried away leaving the marble halls empty and quiet.

"If you have more than three priorities, then you have no priorities." -- Jim Collins

ARGH!

Every time I read or think about Mr. Collins's statement, I get a case of the shakes... Well, just the "head shakes." You know...the kind of head shake that takes the words out of my step-daughter's mouth: no, no!

Good isn't good enough.

Do you feel the truth of that statement?

It feels true for me, but it leads to the anxiety that comes from working harder and harder to win. It's a "type A" life, for certain! Yet, if it's true, then why does it feel so uncomfortable?

Here's another statement that feels true: I can't be great at everything. I can't even do everything to an acceptable level. I have tried. What I got for that flurry of activity was this:

We are born helpless. As soon as we are fully conscious we discover loneliness. We need others physically, emotionally, intellectually; we need them if we are to know anything, even ourselves. –C.S. Lewis

On My Own!