This is one of my favorite pictures from my recent trip to the Outer Banks here in North Carolina.  I stood nearby and took at least 100 photos of wave after wave striking this jetty near the old Cape Hatteras Lighthouse location.  Several of these were installed to prevent erosion and, thereby, protect the Cape Hatteras light (until it was moved in 1999). 

They jettys have endured so much and continue to do so even now.  You can see how this man-made shield has worn.  You can imagine the forces it has endured from powerful hurricanes to the daily tidal changes.  You can see the spray on this side of the structure after impact.  The imagery is evocative!

I am not going to tell you the story of this modern-day shipwreck, but google "Ocean Pursuit shipwreck" and you'll find it.  The ship ran aground in March 2020 and has been left to the elements.  This photo, taken April 2021, shows the condition of the vessel - buried under tons of sand.

As I photographed and researched the ship, my thoughts turned to how this happened.  When the vessel ran aground, it was allowed to remain there and drift with the daily tides and ride the storms.  That tendency to drift - instead of intentionally taking action resulted in it being buried.  The same is true in our lives!  When we do not intentionally act, we unintentionally make things worse by burying ourselves. 

I love lighthouses and took so many pictures of Bodie, Ocracoke, and Hatteras.  This day produced child-like glee for me as I was trying to get a sunset with the Hatteras light in it.  Mother Nature did not cooperate with the clouds and I was disappointed.  Then, IT happened - for the first time in my life, I saw the Cape Hatteras light in action.  This photo was my favorite and it got me to thinking.

All my photos were of a structure - nothing wrong with that - but we, far too often, focus on structure.  Yes, that structure (much like the lighthouse) has withstood many storms BUT simply standing is not enough.  The purpose of a lighthouse only becomes clear in the dark.  To you I say this - know your purpose and shine when others need it.

The title originates from the fact that I had sat down from an exhausting set of "pistons" with that dumbbell.  As I sat there, something hit me.  Look at the photo - what do you see?  While under duress, I saw this immediately in color but going to black and white makes it more distinguishable.  See it yet?  Note the 2 shadows:  one from the dumbbell and the other from a light pole not in the frame.  

I do not know where I heard this years ago but it went something like this:  "you cannot have a shadow unless there is light."  That statement really puts things in perspective for our lives and leadership.  Shadows and light exist everywhere; so, ask yourself which one you look for the most in life.  If we are honest, we focus far too much on the shadows and miss the brilliance of the light.  Whenever you are facing a tough time and see a dark shadow, remember the shadow only exists because light has created it.

Simply put, do not fear the shadow but, instead, find the light.

This basketball goal forced some philosophical reflection as I faced reality today.  That lesson is condensed into one statement - our ever-increasing age is not something to be lamented but, rather, should be celebrated. 

Far too often, we grieve getting older because we can no longer do the things of our youth (e.g. play basketball at the same level).  We should change our perspective about age and embrace it.  Yes, we lose the ability to do certain things from our past, BUT we gain a right perspective that those things never really mattered anyway.  With each passing year, age reveals what is most important about life.  Are you getting it?

In any kind of life or leadership lore, you will quickly hear about the need for a strong foundation.  We need to be rooted in values or principles that will last when the storms come.  You also hear about people talking about their "roots" and how it sustains them for what lies ahead.

That talk is great, but leads to a posed question - is it talk or is it reality?  This photo reveals what many people, unfortunately, have as their roots - yep, they certainly exist but they are hanging in the air.  Those roots are not attached to anything and, as such, are worthless.

No doubt this tree has lived a long time and has other roots that provide it valuable nourishment and anchor it to the earth, but what about you?  Are your roots real or are they just hanging around?  If you want to know if your roots are deep and real, then try to live without them (and not just talk about them).  If you cannot, then they are real.  If you primarily talk about them and do not match them with a walk, then those roots are worthless and will erode when the storm hits. 

If you ever wonder can you, as one person, make a difference, then look at this photo.   

The one little rock protruding from the water has created multi-directional ripples that go off and bounce off other rocks creating more directional ripples.  One rock!  

Yes, you can make a difference; but, it requires you to make a difficult choice.  It means that you intentionally go against the flow.  It means that you have to stand out and, at times, take a beating.  It also means that someone may not see the difference that you make.  But, as this photo shows, someone may notice and then tell your story!

So many great lessons can be discovered just sitting around a campfire and thinking about life and leadership.  "Captured Moments" is too short of a section to deal with them all, but here is one from tonight - to keep the fire burning (your passion), sometimes the fuel needs to be moved.  Tis easy to leave everything as it is; however, even the biggest fire will burn out.  That shift breathes oxygen into the fuel and a reigniting occurs.  The same is true of your passion - changing your position, sometimes, promotes your purpose.  You are the one that has to decide if a change is necessary.   

Bird poop.  Yes, you did read that right - the reflection upon this image is all caused by bird poop on the "power towers."  See the darker line near the top of the tower?  That coloration is not due to sunset but comes from the inclusion of more metal acting as a shield (technical term is "anti-avian security") over the power lines. What would these lines need to be shielded from?  Yep, you got it - bird poop. I had no idea until my friend, who owns this property, explained all of this to me.  While you may call me crazy, just like I called him crazy, read this article for more information.

​​It is not just the presence of any bird droppings that causes the issue; however, a large accumulation of "streamers" (a nice way of saying bird poop) on the power lines creates the problem.  The severity can go from the minor (decreasing operational efficiency) to the major (causing a reactor shutdown described in the article above).

​Stop and think about how that relates to life.  Allowing people to constantly dump their negativity onto you  can and will reduce your life's operational efficiency.  Some "negativity" is needed (e.g. constructive criticism) but an overabundance of the unnecessary kind is counterproductive.  What are you going to do, right now, to insulate yourself from the constant negativity that could be coming your way?  If you do not act to control that negativity flow, then a shutdown - whether emotional or physical or social - is on the horizon.