The eleventh hour…
…is the time when a lot of things get done. The Viticulture and Wine photos from Thursday are in process, and I am very glad that I shot them on Thursday. Fall colors are pretty amazing, and the reds and yellows of the grape leaves, the purples of the grapes, and the blue sky can combine to make you feel very glad that you are alive.
For me, only this blog entry is getting done at the eleventh hour. I believe in planning and time management, even though I have worked in high tech environments in which everything was an “emergency.” Guess what? If everything is an emergency, nothing is. Usually an emergency was defined by a middle management person who was not good at planning or being professional under pressure, and losing control, usually of him/herself.
I think that the latest Viticulture and Wine photos will be on the site by the end of this weekend if not sooner, because I will be involved in the wedding of a young Marine friend of the family for some of the weekend. My wishes for him and his bride are for long and happy lives together.
I once had a Director who used to put things in perspective during high-tech “emergencies” by reminding folks (usually management, ours or the customer’s) that “nobody has died here.” He was a three-tours-of-Vietnam Special Forces soldier, and one of the most honorable, professional, and gentlemanly managers that I have had the pleasure of serving. When I think of some of the others, I just laugh and shake my head. 
One of the best things about photography for me is that it allows me to see the world differently. I prepare for a shoot by putting myself in that different frame of mind, seeing the natural beauty all around me, seeing the form and the wonder. What I have learned of science helps me to see beyond the surface, and it makes the natural world even more wonderful.
So if each day is starting to look like another soap-opera episode from “The Young and the Arrogant” and the effects of someone’s greed, on yourself and others, is starting to get you down, take a deep breath, find that setting that lets you see a clear, fresh view of the world, and drink in that natural wonder, of which you are a part.
“Nobody has died here.” In other places in the world, people are dying quite regularly. A young Marine is getting married, and will probably serve another tour of duty soon. There is more than enough negativity to go around.
People acting alone can effect change. People acting together in positive ways, even more so. We all need to recharge from time to time with that positive blast of fresh air that helps us to focus clearly and to act positively.
We owe it to ourselves, to our loved ones, to our species, and to our planet.
It is the eleventh hour.
–Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo
