How special is each day that we live?
Deployment is essentially like the movie “Groundhog Day”
except it’s less fun because there ARE consequences for what you did
yesterday. But one thing I’ve learned is
that I’m best off letting go of any negative that may have happened during the
day. Call it selective memories so to
speak. Granted you need to remember
enough to ensure that you learn from mistakes you make…but beyond that, I just
let it go. I take almost nothing
personally.
While I appreciate routine, I’ve tried to do things to make
it seem like time is indeed passing and we are all moving closer to going
home. The most simple thing I do is
manage our “countdown calendar” as well as the paper chain that we have going
(with instructions to tear one link per day, preferably with meals). I’ve also mentioned the “animals” that I draw
on each day of the monthly calendar.
This is actually very fun for me…because any time there’s a dull moment
in the clinic I can blurt out…TODAY IS DINOSAUR DAY! Everyone in the clinic knows what I
mean. It confuses some of the patients
at first, but most of them laugh and eventually suggest an animal for another
day. Simple and yet effective!
As much as I miss my family and friends (and as much as I am
not a fan of Afghanistan), being here has taught me a lot. I find myself challenged daily in my job, my
outlook, my world view, my relationship with other people, with God...
I feel like I am standing on my own two feet like I never
have before, and yet I also know that I am relying on God more than I ever
have. Deployment experiences are vastly
different based on location and command.
For some here, it has been the worst experience of their lives! There are a lot of reasons for that, some of
which I completely understand and others that are likely more hidden from my
view…but bottom line, this is how life is, is it not?
I’m kind of a fan of Donald Miller, author of many good
books…but the one that comes to mind is “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years”
in which he outlines what makes a good story.
He argues that the same elements of a good story also make a “good
life.” Those elements are primarily 1) a
character (that’s you) 2) the character wants something (must be something
meaningful) and 3) the character has to overcome conflict to get it (characters
don’t voluntarily change…it’s overcoming conflict that MAKES the character
change or “transform.” This is pretty
much the basis of every story you’ve read or movie you’ve seen…and yet in our
own lives we go out of our way to avoid as much conflict as possible.
But why not set your sights on something worthwhile that will
be difficult to attain? There’s always
the chance that you could fail, but if you let just the thought of failure stop
you, you’ll never do anything! That’s a
pretty boring existence I think. So
anyway, all I’m saying is CONSIDER it.
Consider what your life might look like if someone wrote a book about
you. Did you overcome any conflict? How did you handle the difficult times? What did you learn? How did it make you better?
How special is each day that you live? Each day for me is a special reminder – that
I don’t always get what I want, but I will always get from the Lord what I
need. I am blessed and I am grateful. Now to overcome some conflict!
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