Audio Overload

I took this photo at a high school field where, on another day, the announcer was too loud.

    I no longer enjoy watching sports. One reason is audio overload by announcers.
    This problem came to a head while I attended a high school football game. The announcer working the public address system was loud and incessant. He rarely shut up. I could barely converse with a friend beside me.
    Twice, the announcer drowned out the band as it performed during breaks in the action.
    The announcer’s motor-mouth ruined the fun.
    My friend agreed with this assessment. I suggested he write a letter about this problem to the editor of the local newspaper. My friend demurred. He didn’t want to anger people in his town.
    Fair enough. But I didn’t live there. So I write a letter to the editor. This letter explained in detail how the announcer’s relentlessness made it hard to enjoy the game. 
     My opinion incensed many people. Some of them wrote angry rebuttals in the newspaper.
    My phone rang during this period.
    “Hello,” I said.
    “You’re an a…hole! a woman said before hanging up.
     Anyone who challenges a status quo encounters fierce resistance.

Healthy Dirt

    Does mowing the lawn keep a person healthy?
    The man in the photo, close to one hundred years old at the time, still mowed his lawn. He was healthier than most people his age.
    I also push a mower. It kicks up dirt, dust, and all sorts of bacteria. Filth cakes my body. When I shower afterwards, water flows with blackness.
    Researchers theorize that when children play in the dirt, or stuff dirt into their mouths, they’re developing their immune systems.
    I am 59 years old. My health remains good. I'm not taking meds. And once per week, while behind a mower, I breath in gobs of airborne dirt.
    My gut tells me that exposure to dirt contributes to the health of adults.

Beyond Books

    Libraries have improved since I was a boy. They’re not just about books anymore.
    For example, I photographed a librarian posing with an art collection. Patrons can borrow a painting, hang it on a wall at home, then return the painting.
    But not all libraries loan paintings. And not all libraries are top notch.
    I have visited libraries in many towns in the United States. All of those visits led me to a conclusion: The quality of a library often indicates the quality of life, or lack of, in a community.

Creative Delusion

In Massachusetts, high school basketball players compete.

    When photographers begin careers, they often believe their work is exceptional.
    For example, I once took a photo of two basketball players vying for a rebound (seen at top). Good expressions. Peak action. I was proud of that photo.
    Not any more. I later discovered that ‘armpit’ photos of basketballs players are commonplace. That photo is nothing more than a cliche.
    I once managed a photo department at a newspaper. A staff photographer job opened up. Applicants stopped by with their portfolios. One man’s photos featured artsy and eclectic subjects. One image was hard to identify. It looked like a birds-eye view of a bush. I asked him about the photo. He said, “It’s a close up of my girlfriend’s vagina.”
    I was puzzled over why he’d shown that picture, and other artsy images, for a news photographer job. I think he was delusional. He believed his work was so good that I’d be duly impressed. But I wasn’t. He didn’t get the job.
    Delusion affects writers too. My dream is to become a full time novelist. I thought my first novel was excellent. I sent the manuscript to publishers. They all rejected it. Years later, I realized the writing wasn't up to snuff.  
    Exceptional works follow inferior works. Young artists often can't tell the difference.

Steel Appeal

    While photographing a political rally in Pennsylvania, I noticed a girl with a steel worker union shirt. Behind her stood a woman. This event happened inside a union hall.
    When that woman was growing up, jobs were plentiful in the steel industry. Maybe her father worked in a mill. Chances are, union wages still support the family of this woman and girl. They are fortunate.
    Not all steel workers—or former steel workers—are fortunate. I’ve driven through several communities in Pennsylvania where steel jobs have declined. Many of those places appear rundown. They’ve had trouble bouncing back.
    Other former steel communities, like Pittsburgh, have fared better. They diversified their economies.
    It’s all about adapting to change. Some places—and people—handle  change better than others.
    Robert Kennedy once said, “Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator. And change has its enemies.”

Second Blooming

    Summer took a toll on my hanging flowers. They began shriveling in mid July. By September, the petals were pretty much gone. I disposed off their roots and dirt among the trees behind my house. Those flowers were destined to be forgotten.
    Or so I thought.
    Several days later, I noticed a splash of color in the woods. A smile creased my face. Some of those petals were again blossoming. A floral comeback!
    I'll leave the flowers at their second home. But they won't be neglected. Every few days, I'll give them a drink of water.
    When simple pleasures come out of the blue, they boost our spirits.

Signature Works

Children play at the Make Way For the Ducklings sculpture in Boston.

    Many artists create a signature work, regarded as their best achievement.
    Sculpture Nancy Schon created Make Way for the Ducklings (seen in photo). It occupies a spot in the Public Gardens of Boston. Children throng to the statues.
    Musicians create signature songs. Led Zeppelin recorded a masterpiece called Stairway to Heaven.
    Architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed Fallingwater, described as a tour de force.
    Author Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden, his classic.
    Signature works shouldn't only apply to literature, objects of art, and their creators. Nor must these works be famous. Signature works should cite accomplishments-of-a-lifetime made by everyday people.
    In our lives, have we each done something that made world a better place? Those actions might someday represent our signature works. Or have we merely gone through the motions of life, without making an impact?