“Okay, I can do this.” I whispered to myself, rather unconvincingly, as I slowly made my way down the hall to the chief’s office.  The corners of the papers in my hand had become slightly frayed from nervously shuffling them back and forth between my thumb and forefinger. Every word had to be perfect. Every “I” crossed, every “T” dotted. No, wait, the other way around. I had clearly lost my mind and was about to make the biggest mistake of my life. After all I had worked so hard to get to this point and I was about to throw it all away on a whim, a fleeting obsession. Or at least that is what I was about hear. The first lecture of many I am sure.

A knock at the door. “Chief, you got a second?” 

“What’s kick’n chick’n” he replied, leaning back in his chair which was sure to give way to his 6′2, 250 pound frame any second now.

I stepped forward, the weight of the six pages in my right hand suddenly bore down as I stretched them out and gently set them on the corner of his desk. There was a moment of hesitation. A bead of sweat ever so slowly trickled down my forehead into my left eye. Up to this point I had done all I had set out to do. I graduated top of my class from the National Fire Academy. I’ve served my country as a Combat Medic for the 3rd Infantry Division, the most deployed unit in the entire armed forces. And now I held a coveted position as a Paramedic for the great (and often extremely dangerous) city of San Antonio, Texas. Yet, even after all of this, nothing had prepared me for what was about to happen next in my life.

The poor chair squealed for mercy as he leaned forward to examine the stack I had just placed in front of him. I could tell the moment he read the header of the cover page. A fog of confusion glazed over his eyes as he comprehended the three small words that would change my life forever. Letter of Resignation…

I walked away from that meeting unsure of my future. I was graciously given two weeks to change my mind but I knew that would not be necessary. I was going to be amazing. Or at least I really, really hoped so.

This morning I was going through some old photographs from my days on the department when I realized something that made me smile. Not all that much has changed since that fateful day not so long ago. The similarities between the Firefighter and the Photographer are really quite staggering. See for yourself…

1) Whenever we are present, it usually means some body’s life is about to drastically change. Whether it be because they have lost a loved one or because they have gained a life mate they will never be the same.

2) Neither are for the faint of heart. Both can be very exhausting, not just physically but emotionally as well. It takes a very special kind of individual to don both the boots and the camera.

3) Both require complete dedication and because of this, many relationships will suffer. Firefighters pull all nighters. So do wedding photographers. Spouses of either rarely understand why.

4)  Both professions require us to be the very best that we can be because people depend on us. They trust us fully to complete the tasks at hand. If we don’t then we will surely hear about it later. Whether in the obituaries or on Wedding Wire. Often they are interchangeable. 

5) Both are extremely under paid and even worse, under appreciated. Enough said.

6) Both absolutely depend on a working knowledge of our equipment. Nothing can be left to chance. We have to treat that equipment as if our very lives depend on it.

7) Both are the very best jobs in the world and whether you are a firefighter or a wedding photographer you are truly blessed to be doing what you are doing. Be thankful.

Thank you universe for allowing me to be both in one lifetime. A firefighter and a  photographer. I have known more joy than one man should experience.  And though some people may never fully understand the decisions that I have made, I do. And I have no regrets…

What she said was “For those of you flying on Delta flight 3993 there will be a slight delay as your scheduled plane was found to be having problems with a fuel line and will be returning to its departing city for maintenance. We can expect to be boarding approximately 3 hours later than scheduled. Sorry for any inconvenience”.

Now what I heard was ” For those of you who thought you were about to get on this plane, you are in for a rude awakening. evil grin. You see, what you don’t know is that you were just one boarding pass away from being a firey ball of tin plummiting to the ground and all you would have had to show for it is a can of Mr. T’s bloody mary mix and approximately 8-10 extremely salty peanuts. I hate my job. Sucks to be you.”

sigh. “Greeeaat”. Don’t get me wrong. I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay here in Syracuse. When you are from Texas, the idea of spending a weekend in snowy weather is oh so good. And it was. Its the part where I hang out in the airport for 4 hours only miss my connecting flight in Detroit that is less than desirable. Thankfully, up until now the entire weekend has been an amazing experience and has gone without a hitch. I hope the PUG enjoyed having me as much as I enjoyed being there because any day where I get to talk about The Goodness is a good day. More on that to come. For now here is what The Goodness looks like in Syracuse, NY.

So I know that I was suppose to announce the winner of my print giveaway contest on Tuesday. Well its been one of those weeks but I am happy to announce Jasen Southward the big winner! I always get so excited when a new photographer is in the beginning stages of following his/her dream. It can be a rough ride and we all know that wedding photography is not for the faint of heart. I read earlier today that “Happiness is different from pleasure. Happiness has something to do with struggling, enduring, and accomplishing.” Well said anonymous wise person, well said. Jasen, I wish you all the happiness in the world. And I hope that this print will bring you the, how did you put it? “added awesomeness” that you were hoping for…

On another note I have the amazing honor of speaking at the Central New York PUG meeting this weekend in Syracuse and I will be out of the studio until Tuesday. Unless of course I get stranded in the snow storm. Which may be fun now that I think about it. Happy weekend everyone! Go find some Goodness!

Oh, and speaking of The Goodness, here’s a sneak peak of some to come!

WPPI is holding an incredible contest this year. Submitting a two minute video on why you love WPPI could win you FREE Registration, FREE VIP Registration, a FREE room at the MGM during the entire WPPI convention and national exposure for your studio on rangefindermag.com, wppionline.com and aftercapture.com. Um, yes please. Here is my video submission. Let me know what you think and wish me luck Goodness!

 ”Wrap your arms around me and hold on tight”, Yale said, as Rossi climbed onto the back of his 1966 red Vespa.  Truer words were never spoken by a man who in the near future will promise his heart and soul, even his very life to the woman that he loves, that he adores. With a nervous giggle she snuggled in close and slipped her frigid hands into his front coat pockets. He squeezed them close and she immediately melted at his touch. Yes, Rossi, hold on tight. Not because you are in danger or because he is an unworthy pilot of the vintage vessel that will carry you down the road to your destination. He is more than capable. Just know that it may be rocky in some places. No, it will most certainly be rocky in some places but rest easy for his very reason for existence is to keep you safe. It will be slow at first, but eventually he will get the hang of things and before you know it he will be screaming, “look babe! No hands!!”.  When he does this, and he will because he is a guy, be patient. Raising your voice will only make things worse and while you may think he is just showing off, he is really just dying to impress you. Because he loves you he will diligently use his turn signal so that you will always know where he is headed, and that he would not be going there without you. It will be a long road.  Some days will bring the rain, and other days the skies will break and bleed its light and kiss your face with mercy. Be thankful for both. If not for rain and sunshine rainbows would not exist. There will be signs along the way too. They are there to remind you where you are on your journey. Pay attention. These signs are important because they will warn you of hazards and let you know of any dangers that may be lurking ahead. If you read the signs it will be much much easier to avoid an accident. Remember to use the rest stops because its okay to get out and stretch your legs every now and then. This is also a great time to let your hair down, to grab a power bar, and most importantly to call your mom. She will love to hear how you are doing but will also be able to offer priceless advice from years of traveling this same road with your father. Twenty eight years to be precise. Trust her. She knows what she is talking about. But of all this please remember this one thing. He loves you. You are his girl. And wherever this road is taking you, you will go there together or not at all.

And with a turn of the key and a startling backfire they were off. Young and fearless and a bit shaky at first. Rossi leaned in closer to kiss the back of Yale’s neck as he gently squeezed her hands. A small reminder to hold on tight, this is going to be the ride of their lives…