Page 288 - ConvinceThemFlip

convince them in 90 seconds or less
most to her transformation, her reply was a surprise to
everyone. She said the most important thing she’d picked
up was a breathing exercise I’d given her called “moving
your nostrils.”
Well, it was a surprise to everyone but me. It had been
obvious to me, when Teresa and I were chatting the day
before, that her imagination was crippling her. She was
gripped with fear at the thought of what she imagined
might go wrong. In the same way that you can’t get a per-
son to smile by saying “Smile,” a photographer knows you
can’t get someone to relax by saying “Relax.” You have to
make it happen. The fright in her eyes triggered a memory
in me and I told Teresa this story.
My youngest daughter, Pippa, has courageously lived
with asthma all her life. In the early hours of the morning
several years ago, she awoke having serious difficulty
breathing, and her inhaler wasn’t helping. I scooped her
up and into the car and headed for the breathing machine
at the hospital, about twenty miles away from the farm
where we live.
After about five miles, her breathing was getting
worse. She knew not to panic and so did I, but I desper-
ately wanted to do something to help. Out of the blue I
remembered something I’d taught myself at boarding
school—how to “move my nostrils.” Back in those days
I’d had a problem with smells. Certain unpleasant smells
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