What defines me

This morning, I read with interest an article in the NY Times. Ben Stein writes with a truth that most others have completely ignored. The financial gurus claim the market will turn around. The Wall Street wizards lay low and the bankers say nothing. Mr. Stein has written in a way that enlightens, empowers, and informs. But most of all he reminds us that WE ARE NOT OUR INVESTMENTS. As he discussed the Bernard Madoff debacle, he shared how he chose to avoid that loss. As he discussed the Drexel Burnham Lambert junk bond woes of the 80's, he reminds us that history repeats itself when one does not learn from the past. As he discussed his investment past, he tells us that being 60 meant that he had a lot to remember. Mostly, he is saying to us that our net worth does not make us who we are. As I've been saying, this financial crisis is kind of leveling the playing field. Ben Stein writes:

We are more than our investments. We are more than the year-to-year or day-by-day changes in our net worth. We are what we do for charity. We are how we treat our family and friends. We are how we treat our dogs and cats. We are what we do for our community and our nation. If you had $100 million or $100,000 a year ago and now you have a lot less, you are still the same person. You are not a balance sheet, at least not one denominated in money, as was explained to me recently.

Losing and making money are not moral issues so long as you are being honest. You may have a lot less money as this year ends than you did two years ago. But you are just as good or bad a person as you were then. It is a myth that money determines who you are, and if you have gotten over that myth by now, then 2008 will have been a very good year.

Ben Stein is a lawyer, writer, actor and economist. He may as well be a philosopher. As the playing field is leveled, perhaps the power of heart shall become more valuable to us than the power of money and prestige. Perhaps.

IF

The last 6 months of Wall Street mayhem have torn us apart emotionally. On the surface, we hold tight. Underneath, our stomachs churn as we ponder5 what to do next. We wonder in silence how we will ever retire, cover various emergency costs, pay our bills, keep our jobs when everyone else seems to lose theres.

The governor in Chicago quoted a favorite poet of mine in his defense. But he left most of the poem out. His comments brought home to me my youthful passion and poise. I wanted this sense of being. Iwas deeply reminded of the goals laid forth in this poem. It's as good a reminder of how to deal with our Wall Street losses as it is how to deal with the loss of dreams or the betrayal by people whom we had held deep trust. If we can keep our heads, if we can rebuild our lifes, if we can keep our virtue, if we can keep our dreams....

If this, then that....and for me the then that is the beauty and the reason for keeping on.

[IF]

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

Change becomes a way of life

On my other blog, I wrote a nice piece about quitting smoking. I spoke of the intense personal process I used to forever change the habit. It worked so well that 16 years later, I still automatically use the technique when dealing with old triggers.
I used to be a skier. I would be pushing really hard, skiing hard and fast. I'd be in the lift line, waiting to jump on a chairlift. Suddenly, I had to light up. Didn't know why, but had to have one.
Some kind soul pointed out the trigger when they said to me: You know, you didn't really want one until you smelled someone else's smoke. How right he was.
So we went to the Snoqualmie Casino the other night to check it out. Rumor was the place stank of smoke. Rumor, as it happens, is confirmed. And the one restaurant deep inside which is smoke free claimed that the casino recycles their air every 20 minutes. That leaves 20 minutes of smoker's stale, stinky smoke. It was bad. I don't really care that they recycle their air. It still stinks.
But my point is that 16 years after I gave up the habit, it is harder and harder to be around smokers. I chose to quit and I don't want to inhale the smoke of someone else. I don't want to walk past someone as they exhale into my breathing space. I chose to quit.
It is inadvertent on their part, but it happens.
One of my old techniques to remind myself how glad i am that I freed myself of this habit kicked right back in. It's a simple technique, putting little fingers and thumbs together, but immediately, instead of being mad at the smokers, I fell into a space of " boy, I'm glad I don't do that anymore" ....
That space of being grateful for my own accomplishment (with help of God) is far more beneficial than being anything else. Keeping the focus on me means that I can allow you to do what you want.
Now, I won't go back there for a long time, if at all. But that is my choice. I've no reason to go.

Blogging..

Man, it used to be a simple journal that I wrote in every day. Three pages of hand written thought process that I never showed to anyone else. I might share in my women's group if some profound thought hit me. Blogging is not the same. So far, I'm not sure the difference in value between a web site and a blog, except that the website is static and self managed and hopefully self owned. A blog is kind of a public journal. You can add pictures, links, widgets, and you can easily change the layout. It's kind of like a dumbed down Front Page, which at one point offerred great promise and quickly faded into the ethers...
So why all this noise about blogging? Who cares what I think? Maybe it depends on what I think about what I think?
I starte this blog to find out what all the noise was about. I've found out that most serious entrepreneurs or sole proprietors use blogs to help self promote. But here's the thing: A website can do that and you have to drive traffic there too.
So...what's the deal?
Maybe the simple truth is the freedom to write down a random thought, share some editorial, or post a picture, and do it in a flash. This is really pretty easy. It is easier than WordPress. But...it's still not that big of a deal.
Or maybe it is....maybe its the next new marketing thing that kids used to do and now us adults stress over finding some profit motive behind it. Isn't that how fun things end up going out of style?
More later......

The Point

What is the point of going to a doctor? Usually, people go to find out what is wrong and what they can do to cure it. I focus on self care. I do whatever I can to help myself live a healthy and active lifestyle. I help others to do the same. What I learned from living this way is that most people who want healthful lives practice healthful living. Most people who really don't care, only practice healthful living when they get tired of feeling sick, lifeless or lethargic. Or they lay claim to wanting great health and then do nothing to get it. Simple changes are often all it takes to start feeling more vital. Less fat, less sugar, and a little movement maybe? I have little patience for those who won't get off their butts -- not when they've had the same lame excuses for years on end. Put up or shut up, folks!

Sadly, many western populations promote this foolhardy way of life. Many western medical doctors practically laugh at Naturopathic doctors, but the truth of it is the Naturopaths focus on prevention while the insurance driven medical doctors focus on stopping symptoms.

What is the point of this? I've lived for 36 years as a healthy living advocate who promotes self care, healthy eating, exercise, and above all, moderation. It's my passion. It's my thing. It was my Mom's thing. It was her Mom's thing. Exercise, fresh air, healthy fresh food including lots of fruits and vegetables, not too much red meat, and hardly any pork products such as ribs, bacon or ham. Sure, we are historically inclined to avoid cured meats, especially pork. But for health reasons, I stay away anyway. The curing process results in carcinogens.

I've spent the past 11 years caregiving for others. I'm NOT a nurse. I'm a healthy living advocate. The difference is I have this expectation that when people can do for themselves, they should. Rick likes to say that people bring on their own troubles. Well....it goes for their health too. Both of my parents lived extremely active, healthy lives. When their health declined, it was nothing that healthy living would have prevented. Dad ran up to 15 miles a week until he was 84. Mom was always proactive and got her share of exercise, right up until she was 89 or 90. It is really hard to accept that folks much younger seem so old and feeble. Especially when these folks could do something in their mature years to prevent their decline.

Enough nonsense. If I go to a doctor, I at least TRY what the doctor advised without blowing it off as nonsense. My shoulder is healing really well. The doc said that if I did exactly what he told me to do, I'd heal really well and faster than many. That means doing what he and his PT tell me to do. Amazing...do what they say and get the results they say I will... Who wudda thunk?

Many medical issues and complications are not this simple, I know. But why waste time and energy even going to the doc if you have no intention of doing what they say, and then want to whine about not getting better? If you are going to go, then at least try their advice. An open mind may help you restore the life you want to live, or even make it better. Its' all up to the individual.

One Day at a Time

Friend,
The world is not coming to an end. No one is saying that it is. As I read the news, I'm often amazed, astounded and downright angry. How our so called leaders were able to lead us into this financial maelstrom is beyond me. It's nearly as infuriating as what happened in Germany so many years ago. Why smart folks like us didn't say STOP -- PROVE YOURSELF -- PROVE YOU ARE DOING THE RIGHT THINGS is beyond me. As Wall Street Crumbled, we sat back and said: Patience, this will turn around. As we laughed at John McCain stating that the fundamentals of our economy are strong, we never stood up to DO anything. We sat back and waited for Congress -- maybe sent an email here or there, but really just waited. Where is OUR VOICE?
Many wealthier than I said repeatedly, Have Patience., I have a hunch that this is about to turn around. They said this as they liquidated their investments. Interesting! As I said: Some wealthier than I. I did NOT say WISER. And definitely not always kinder.

Now Mr. Maddoff has admitted his guilt in the largest Ponzi scheme ever. Many wealthier than I were involved. How could they not have been? It stands to reason that if red flags waved as early as 10 years ago, and often, that other people had to know and be involved. There is NO WAY that ONE MAN can run a $50 Billion Ponzi Scheme for 10 years and do it ALONE.
Come on, people? This is obvious.

Note that I said "Many Wealthier than I" many times. Those same folks have held power positions in government, business and finance for decades.

Who do we trust? How do we get through this?

Faith, One Day at a Time. But more than that. Those who don't act, act out of fear late in the game. This is not just an angry rant, guys. This is your call to act. Let us all think of ways we can act to expect those in these self righteously arrogant positions are held to a high level of accountability. Every day! For me, it means checking things out. It means trusting my hunches, not the "hunch" of some other power broker.

I'm pissed. I'm disappointed. I'm still some days hopeful, but mostly focused on living one day at a time. I don't know if I'll recoup my losses. I don't know if we'll keep our jobs or maintain a strong level of clients. The only thing I do know is that every day I wake grateful to be alive, be loved, and be healthy. Adn every day, I wake not sure if I want to read the news.
So what I believe I can do is the same that we ALL can do. WE can read and educate ourselves. We can eliminate the midlle layers and invest on our own. We can do more than mere due diligence -- we can really read and learn about what we are investing. We do not need to rely on the promise of another not so objective party. We can take their advice, then go home and study.

There is no reason to blindly follow anyone. There is no room in my life for those kind of mistakes. Not any more. And you shouldn't either.

Going forward

We, at Ramblin Lamb Communications are capable of so much. It only takes intention, or so it seems. What we love is creatively sharing and showing. Our website is mainly photography. 

Our blog is about me ramblin forward. I'm not sure if I need a new blog, or a website, but shall explore this further this week. 

For now, my goals are to finalize our marketing materials. New business cards are essential. So is a good blog with articles that have some meaning. There is much debate about what service provider to use and whether to publish on a free one or paid.  A little research is all that is needed. Then there is a current topic about pricing or working for free.  I say that all spec work is essentially for free. It's a risk, but it gives me the way to write and develop ideas and see if someone wants to publish.  That is far more satisfying that writing assignments and essentially parroting what a client wants.  Whatever....clients provide good insight and I've learned much about strategy. Still, freedom of voice is rather tasty. 

So our marketing plan is still in the works. Research is necessary, but I am thinking I need not over engineer this. The blog on Google is not bad at all.  I'm already here!  So a bit of research is ok, and information is out there.  I get distracted with all kinds of other things like my AWAI class or the photo business. Faith? 

As the current economic climate is devastating, I can't even read the news. What was the way to manage finances seems archaic now even though I don't have a better solution. YET.  Maybe the old fashioned way of investing in MYSELF and MY BUSINESS is a smarter way to go. More on that later.  

Deception Pass Dash 2008

I thought I'd kicked the habit. I really did. So many years of not having it. So many times I've said to myself that I just don't need it any more. Dang....it just isn't true. 

I'M STILL AN ADRENALINE JUNKY! 

Ok, the first step is to admit I have a problem. But I'm not powerless over it -- or am I? 

The 2008 Deception Pass Dash was an absolute blast. We arrived at Bowman Bay at 7 AM. It was dark. No one was there except for the race coordinators. We stood around and scouted the site. 

3 photographers with quality gear awaited a fantastic day of activity, athleticism, comraderie, and good old fun. 

Rick went to the Bridge. Sean went to the point. And I had the  best job of all. I was out on one of the rescue boats. So the guys got more and better images. I got a few great shots, but the rocking and rolling of 3 - 6 foot swells, keeping an eye out for paddlers in trouble, and holding on so I didn't bounce off the boat meant that my shutter didn't get as much use. 

The race began at 10, but the safety crew went out earlier. I was able to capture the starting line up, and then we waited. We were the sweep crew, so we made sure that no one was left behind. 

As I come down off my adrenaline high, I know this was a day for awakening the spirit within. Who says I need to be miss mellow, laid back all the time. As we sift through 1300 or more images, I know I've found my calling. 

I need a couple miracles. Some way to make a real living doing this kind of thing. Some way to stay in the flow of this energy.  Yes.....nothing is for free, but I'll continue to do this race as a gift back to those who've carried me forward. 

On and on....ramblin on....

Deception Pass Dash

The 3rd Annual Deception Pass Dash was a spectacular race filled with a variety of racers at different levels, winds, waves and swells. The Ramblin Lamb Photo team was in full force, bringing in support from another colleage. In all, we have 23 G of images to sort through. We are processing now and will submit to our colleagues and customers asap.
Rick was staged on the bridge over the pass, Sean Watson was staged on the point, and they captured the most shots. For me, it was quite a different ride. I was out on the safety boat riding the waves with the rescue patrol. I shot less than 3 G, but had a hell of a great time. Rocking and rolling over some 8 ft swells generated some hoots and hollers from those in our boat. It was hard to shoot, but we got them what they wanted. I captured the start up shot of over 140 kayakers lined up to race! I captured a couple surfing some whirling waves. I captured a few hard working paddlers. And I captured Bucky trying his galant hand at a surf ski in rough chop after we rescued the owner of the surf ski. That proves to me that I have no real interest in that type of kayak.

It's so much fun to do stuff we love. I haven't had so much fun in what feels like years. I can't wait until next year's event.