Shara Smile, LLC Newsletter November 2024

GRATEFUL Greetings!

Back in my teaching days at one of our “beginning of the year” staff meetings we watched a talk from Dewitt Jones, a professional National Geographic photographer and speaker. The talk was called “Celebrate What’s Right with the World”. What I gleaned from this talk sticks with me not only because of the core message, but also because of my love of photography and the Arts.

When thinking back on Dewitt's talk “Celebrate What’s Right with the World”, I believe this message is very relevant and needed today. He explained while on a photoshoot, often he would see elements that looked dingy, sad, or down right BAD. But he learned to stay with it, look closely, and WAIT for that special moment. He would take hundreds of “not so great” photos until THAT MOMENT when he would get ONE or TWO phenomenal shots. It took time, patience, the right lens and the right perspective. He BELIEVED the beauty was there, he just had to wait for it.

As we move into November, I encourage us to find that different lens we may have tucked away in our hearts and minds. Let’s focus on what is right in our world because, even when things seem to be going wrong, there are still many positives around us. With patience, time and the right perspective, we can use the right lens to discover the beautiful elements that are hiding in plain sight. Are we ready to view future change as a “possibility curve”?

If you’d like to watch Dewitt Jones’ talk, I highly recommend it!