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PROPS TO PAUL Lets just say our mountain photographer recentlydropped some megapixels.
It’s been this way for over 30 years.
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Blue Ridge LIFE
JANUARY 2014
I experienced a personal triumph yesterday. I achieved a goal that I had set for myself. It was not a financial goal, although such would have been easier to accomplish. It was a personal goal, a physical goal, one that only I could achieve. Some background. In addition to photography, I am also a ski instructor. Photography slows down during the winter months so I fill in the gap by teaching skiing. For the upcoming season, the resort where I teach instituted a fitness test for all instructors as part of the rehire process. Such is not unusual. Many ski resorts throughout the country are doing the same thing. It is to make sure that instructors can meet the physical requirements of the position. After all, skiing is a very active sport. So I took the test, and despite the fact that I had exercised, lost over fifty pounds since last January, and did a lot of hiking, I failed. I thought I was ready. But I wasn’t ready enough. Oh how I hate failure! The examiner gave me a series of exercises to perform over a period of one month, and then return to retake the test. I was devastated. Why me? I was prepared, or so I thought. Everybody else seemed to have passed. Did I really want to teach skiing this year? Maybe it’s time to give up the profession and to Hell with the stupid test. I was angry, frustrated, and did a such a great job of feeling sorry for myself that I should have won a prize. I vented my feelings on one of my dearest friends. Of course I promptly and sincerely apologized, and lucky for me we are still close friends. There is a lot of truth to the saying that a friend sees you as you really are, and likes you anyway. I calmed down. I love skiing and I love teaching; I knew what I had to do. If someone was to ask me what is my strongest attribute, without hesitation I would say it is persistence. Here’s an example. Last night I played a game of Sudoku (I love the game). Normally I can solve a “Difficult” puzzle in