How good is your word?

It was 1991 and I was embarking on one of the greatest adventures of my life, the forming of the Great American Photography Weekends.  My father had passed a way just a few years before at the young age of 66 and I was bound and determined not to work to 65, retire and then die within a few months as he had done.  I remembered how my dad, an avid fisherman, had dreamed of opening a bait and tackle shop and hanging out with fisherman for his “Golden Years”!  Well his golden years never arrived.  My dream retirement was to travel across the country and world and photograph all the places and things I had never gotten to see!

Starting your own business, even in better economic times, was a challenge.  Someone would have to guarantee that the family finances went on while I struggled to start a new venture.  I made a promise.  I would take some years off from holding down a regular job to chase this dream, and Sherelene would make sure we kept our heads above water while I ran the GAPW.  The GAPW was an instant success bringing in truck loads of money, however in the process of running the business we spent truck loads of money.  In some years I took very little salary in order to keep the ledger out of an iron lung!!.  Eventually, it was very self supporting, but through it all, thick and thin Sherelene kept her word.

When 9/11 happened workshop companies fell on hard times.  Since by then I had  investors in the company, I stepped down as the manager of events, and president of the organization and took a regular job again, being a Tech Rep for Nikon.  The GAPW limped along for another 8 years and finally went out of business early this year.

I have really enjoyed doing my work with Nikon, but the vigorous schedule was starting to get harder as more age piled on me.  I started to dream of retiring and doing more workshops and shooting more, and not being away from home as much.  I even started making plans to do just that.  Sherelene and I had several conversations about retirement and she encouraged me to consider working a little longer, so that we might be better prepared for the day we were on a fixed income.  Truthfully, I really didn’t want to put retirement off.  Even though my health is good and I feel capable of working longer, I was ready.

Then Sherelene reminded me of my promise,which I had conveniently, (for me), pushed to the back of my mind.  It was apparent that she was concerned about my hanging it up early.   This is when being a Christian means God will have a little talk with you in your spirit.  I was reminded that I “had” given my word and she had kept hers.  It didn’t take me long to know that I needed to keep mine.  So I told my boss and friends Scott Diussa and Bill Pekala that I would like to not talk about retirement for now that I would like to remain a member of the team a little longer.  To my shock they both seemed happy to hear it!  I kinda wondered if they would be happy to see me ride into the sunset.

Now this has all been way too much information about my life, more than you need to know, or probably could care about.  I will still teach my several private workshops a year under the His Light banner, I’ve completed my 5 course deal with Kelby Training, and I will not change anything about my website, I’ll just be at Nikon a little longer.  The important message is this; when you give your word you have to stand by it otherwise your word doesn’t mean a thing.  It also means that I deeply love, and appreciate my wife.  When I was traveling around America seeing things I never dreamed I would get to see and experience she was home holding the home fort down.  While she is great at what she does, and does love her work, her level of enthusiasm about getting up and going to work didn’t rise the level of my “chasing a dream across the U.S., Africa, the Galapagos Islands, Europe, and beyond….”   No, she was faithful to her promise, and  now, I can do no less.  If I said to her, but I want, what I want, I would never be able to look myself in the mirror again.  Before anything else in life, I refuse to disappoint, my God, my wife, and family, and those brothers and sisters the Lord has entrusted to me.  Of course, I can’t do that on my own, but with God’s guidance, strength, and help, I will make my very best effort.

the pilgrim

*Photo Note:  D700, 17-35 AFS f 2.8 lens, ISO 200 f22 t 1.6 seconds  HDR.