Hark, Heralds, Heroes...taking notice of Definers. 

Credit, no Credit Due, Sweet and Sour: Terms we are all familiar with, such as a type of course you may have selected in college, as well as what you may experience in the course of your financial planning, current status, when you are attempting to get a financial institution to extend your resources, perhaps in preparation for a large purchase, which may itself be a defining moment in your financial life. But what I am bringing for your consideration here, today are the individuals or groups that either receive (or not) credit for various types of "defining moments", those that range from "stupendous", marked, acknowledged by us, the general public via "kudos", "bravo!", etc., to the ones I also covered here yesterday, under the category of "torrents, abhorrence", this time marked by public displays of disapproval, which in turn run the gamut, from really "rotten tomatoes", to letters of complaint, to simply holding one's nose...So, we should all, always, try to "give credit where credit is due"...

Hark, Herald, Come and Gone: Giving credit to all those who told us that "defining moments" were "about to"..."upon us"...and "that will, in the future, be looked as...". The ones that turned out to be right, which are far outnumbered by the 'imposters', the ones we hear from perennially, regarding the "end of the world" (many of whom, it turns out, have something to sell or simply hope you'll hand over your car or home, as "it's of little use"). There have been some notable sages, harbingers, that date w-a-y-y-y back, such as the "prophets of old". There are also some current among us, who give us daily financial advice, regarding trends in the market, whose algorithms have yet to be fully tested. In our own family, two of our adult children, due to a large extent to their respective professional positions, informed us "this is going to be big" at the beginning of the pandemic (one prior to it was formally defined as such by WHO). Some who are in a position to do so, to predict outcomes, and others who just seem to have the natural knack, what we call "intuition". And when it comes to those who contribute to the making of "defining moments", we hear a lot about the ones who are the most conspicuous, and occasionally find out about others, who are actually camera shy, who shirk from the limelight, who would never claim credit even when it is long overdue...

 Behind the Camera, (un)Heralded: While the main as well as "supporting" actors are receiving their awards and (usually deserving) applause, there are the actual camera handlers who are helping them look good, providing all the "angles". The ones that get formally thanked on air once per year, either at the end of a sports season or major event (e.g., "Olympics"), the briefest of shout-outs, a glimpse of their names, the ones you can hardly catch when they roll the "credits" at the end of the movie, a virtual eye blink. The "behind-the-scenes" folks who are barely noticeable...until they finally are, occasionally. And even then, some of these will only come forward to receive credit grudgingly, with considerable humility. Perhaps camera shy. Earlier in the pandemic, for instance, we, around here and throughout the whole world, began recognizing "Health Care Heroes" which came to include "Front Liners" and then anyone who was/is been serving the public, without our complete awareness or appreciation. Frequently at great inconvenience and even personal risk. Those who continue to deserve our appreciation, "credit" for being part of so many "defining moments". Hopefully, before it has to be given "posthumously".