The place was buzzing, Flash equipment all around, and repair orders everywhere I looked. But even with the list of equipment to repair, my new friends from day seven, Andrea and Silvino, were as gracious as they were professional. With Silvino, as per my previous visit calmly working at his counter, Andrea asked me if I had yet photographed anyone for the day. “Nope, my bag’s right here, I’m always with it, and I am looking as we speak.” Then she told me about Larry Light; a man who had been making custom flash units for over thirty years. “He is very colorful. If you catch him on a good day, I’m sure he’ll do it,” she suggested; even gave him a phone call to inquire for me.

How could I pass on someone with a name like “Larry Light.” And to top it off, nothing ever came easy in meeting a new stranger, so the prospect of an introduction was something that I was very ready to accept. Yet, luck was not on my side that day; when as rapidly as the referral appeared, it dissolved before my eyes. With Andrea’s call heavily screened by his secretary, it seemed a bad day for Larry. “Crud, denied again!”

“No worries,” I told her, “I’ve got my bag and will hit the streets.” She would not let it go, “then you have to interview Jim, he always has interesting things to say.”

Who was Jim? Basically, the backbone who kept the work moving at Silvino’s. Not noticing the back room where he was diligently working, I overlooked him on first arrival. The guy was way mellow and a little apprehensive toward me upon Andrea’s introduction. So I didn’t pressure him. Just showed him a few past interviews on my iPad. He agreed, but with one condition, “I want to write my own words.”

The skies had opened and, literally, manna was falling upon me. After sixty-four days of taking heavy notes and interpreting them into honest entries, it looked like I was getting a hall-pass. Even before I saw his words, I was digging Jim!

Words of Wisdom: “With the economy the way it is, my advice to younger people would be: find a smaller niche to work in and don’t chase after work that seems to be what the larger groups in society are going after. That will change with time, and retraining is harder than fine-tuning what you do.

“Not many people are very rich by definition and that sometimes will bring more problems than it solves. Just doing well by your own standards is a worthy goal and is challenging enough. I would think of myself as the low-end of middle class and yet I’m relatively happy.

“Repair work is needed when times are good, and when times are bad, it’s still needed, although margins are tighter.

“Goals next ten to twenty years: Try to set-up low-maintenance retirement while still having an enjoyable existence for me and my wife.”

Jim as I said then, you are a balanced man and look like you have found your niche. Thanks for your words.

After two months of daily essays (less the one written by Michealbrent), I had been given a mini-vacation. A Friday night that, although loving the journey, allowed me a little relaxing time with my family.

Funny, how this re-author of meeting Jim again falls on a Friday with family. The spirit is still listening.