The Pivot

Halfway between descriptively and amusingly named, the Pacific Ocean islands of Sand, Eastern and Spit are roughly equidistant from Tokyo and San Francisco and form the (aptly named) Midway coral atoll. The battle that took place here in June 1942 – one of the most decisive of World War II – became known as the Pacific War pivot point.

After joining battle at Midway alongside four other American heavy cruisers, the USS New Orleans also fought at the Solomons and at Tassafaronga, where a torpedo impacted the ship causing the loss of its bow (and consequently dramatically shifted its pivot point). Undaunted by this severe incident, its decimated surviving crew managed to scrounge coconut logs to build a temporary bow and proceeded to steer the ship – in reverse – 1,800 miles to safety in Australia (the wreckage of its torpedoed bow would be found at the bottom of the Iron Bottom Sound many decades later).

At times, we also encounter personal torpedoes that thrust unwanted challenges onto our navigation. At the same time, these moments of adversity may become our own pivot point, and prompt decisions and actions that enable us to reframe our challenges – from life-threatening to life-affirming.