A Brighter Future
This image captures the blessings for which I am most profoundly grateful this Thanksgiving holiday. I took this photograph when I was working in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, a French-speaking country in Africa. I was there working on a project for Land O’Lakes, an agriculture cooperative of more than 1,000 member dairy farms. I love this photograph because it shows a girl doing something few girls in her part of the world are able to – attend school! Her smiling optimism contrasts with the grinding poverty of her country for which she represents the hope of a better future. This photograph reminds me of how fortunate I am for my education, and my continuing education, as I invest in building capacity for my business, Prisere LLC. It reminds me of how blessed I am to be able to do work that is deeply meaningful to me and, I hope, makes a difference to the lives of others. The photograph is evidence of the blessings I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy, in traveling around the world for my work.
This image also reminds me of how much I treasure my relationships with my French friends. When in Guinea, the French soldiers helpfully showed me the safe places to eat to minimize the risk of illness. And they kept me out of trouble when I was nearly arrested for taking photographs! At that time, Guinea’s strongman-dictator viewed photography as an activity calculated to motivate civil unrest, so I unwittingly put myself in harm’s way when I took pictures. I have photographs such as this one in my office to remind me what I have for which to be thankful and where my attention to be focused. I am spending part of the holiday today going through my photo albums and reflecting on my blessings. And I expect this exercise will multiply my motivation when I return to work tomorrow!