Naomi Collins' engagement with Russia began shortly after her marriage in 1963 to James Franklin Collins and continued through her husband's tenure as American Ambassador to Russia, 1997-2001. She first traveled with him to live in Moscow in 1965-1966, and returned in 1973 with their two small sons, where her husband served at the American Embassy and she worked for the United States Information Agency (USIA).  She witnessed the 1991 coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbochav, and the rise of Boris Yeltsin. She watched the crowd’s demonstrations as her husband drove off to meet with potentially hostile Russian authorities. She condensed the experience into four lessons:1) Outcomes are always uncertain 2) People can change history through their response and reaction to events taking place around them. 3) Her personal loss of faith in experts and pundits who try to predict the outcome of events, 4) The role pure chance plays in the outcome of important events.