One crisp and breezy evening in December while rolling my trash can out onto the curb, I had the undeniable feeling of being watched. I stopped short and cautiously checked the alley around my garage as well as the gardens running along each side of my home. Nothing! With a strong sense of relief that no stranger was trolling around inside the property, I grabbed the handle of the trash can and proceeded down the driveway.
Again, the feeling of being watched came back even stronger! As I stopped walking again and looked to the left, to the right and lastly straight ahead; I saw absolutely nothing! Then it dawned on me…Look up! You’ve looked everywhere but — up. So why not look up? And there it was! In the orange-colored sky, I was able to make out what looked like a pair of wings in flight, delicately formed from evening clouds. Without hesitation, I ran back up the stairs and into the kitchen to retrieve my phone, trashcan long since forgotten. I wasn’t quite sure what the image was without my glasses. But I knew that whatever it was, it had wings! With my phone in hand, I ran back down the steps, pointed my phone towards the clouds and took three quick shots. Unfortunately, I could see that electrical wires and poles were also included in the frame. So, I ran down to the end of the driveway to get a better view. In doing so I could see that the better shot could be had if I could just stand in the middle of the street for a second.
John, my neighbor from across the street, was also putting his trash to the curb when he saw the phone in my hand and the clouds up above. He couldn’t miss the conflicted expression on my face as I struggled over whether to try to get “the perfect shot,” from the middle of the street. John convinced me to stay put.
“Don’t do it!” John yelled from across the street. “Don’t step into the street just to take a stupid picture; you’re going to’ get yourself killed! I see it too… and that’s a big bird; also looks like a dragon.” As he took a second look he then reasoned while pointing up to the sky, “Frieda, He looks like he’s really mad at you! Are you his next snack?” (Oooops, hadn’t thought about that! Could it possibly be that indeed I was his next opportunity)?
We laughed out loud, said our goodnights, and left each other to turn our attention to original tasks of taking the trash out. As I took one last look over my shoulder; the “Angry Bird,” (now hovered dangerously close to the fire) and began to slowly disappear.
Once inside my home, I grabbed my glasses to examine the photos more clearly. The clouds looked like a bird. However, my neighbor who saw the same image had a good point. It also looked like a dragon or a flying lizard depending upon one’s perspective. As I swiped my phone’s screen to enlarge the photo even more detail was revealed. Once enlarged I could see that the bird’s head was, in fact, turned directly toward me. Though barely visible in the photo its narrowing eyes were staring directly down at me! It seemed to say, “Look at me? I’m up here! Seize this opportunity before it’s too late.”
Are you letting employment opportunities fly away without taking your shot? Stop procrastinating! Join me again for Part 2 of “Are you an Opportunist or a Procrastinator When Potential Job Leads Fly by?”
Frieda Carmouche is a member of the Regional Facilitator team specializing in training, educating and assisting students, job seekers, employers and career center staff throughout the Gulf Coast region, regardless of abilities. She obtained her BFA in Graphic Communications and minored in Psychology from The University of Houston. Frieda, a native Houstonian with a love of training and development, and has been employed by Workforce Solutions for over 10 years.
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