108625
11-19-2008, 09:31 PM
Now that Monday has passed, let's talk about something positive...
I know things are going badly for some, and are at least worrisome for others.
The issue isn't who to blame, what's wrong, or even what could go wrong.
What really matters is how we deal with it.
Where does our character come from? How will we each handle hardship?
What is going to get each of us over the hump?
Tell us what you did to get through a tough time.
When I was a kid, Dad had us cutting and splitting logs every summer for heat the following winter. I hated it. I thought he was just plain cheap, and I was slave labor. Years later, I saw the house he grew up in. It was made of logs.
There was a pump for water in the kitchen, and a privvy outside. Grandma raised two boys there after my Grandfather died of Tuberculosis. Dad was six.
In less than an hour's time, I realized how fortunate I was to have a father.
What keeps you going when things aren't going your way?
It was cold in Afghanistan, and my feet were always wet. There's nothing like wringing out your smelly wool socks and turning them inside out to pick out all the dead skin, just so you can put them back on again, to make you feel sorry for yourself. Then I thought of my Grandfather (on Mom's side) swimming away from his sinking ship, wondering if he would ever get out of the water again. He lost a couple layers of most of his hide. Suddenly, I felt pretty dry from the ankles up.
Who helped you?
I'll spare everyone the war stories, but everyone who has been scared half to death probably had a buddy like "Bogie", who managed to say at just the right time, "Hey, at least we're not still in Wisconsin". Laughter overcomes fear, and you just can't make yourself laugh.
Help somebody out sometime, and you will find yourself "Over the hump".
I know things are going badly for some, and are at least worrisome for others.
The issue isn't who to blame, what's wrong, or even what could go wrong.
What really matters is how we deal with it.
Where does our character come from? How will we each handle hardship?
What is going to get each of us over the hump?
Tell us what you did to get through a tough time.
When I was a kid, Dad had us cutting and splitting logs every summer for heat the following winter. I hated it. I thought he was just plain cheap, and I was slave labor. Years later, I saw the house he grew up in. It was made of logs.
There was a pump for water in the kitchen, and a privvy outside. Grandma raised two boys there after my Grandfather died of Tuberculosis. Dad was six.
In less than an hour's time, I realized how fortunate I was to have a father.
What keeps you going when things aren't going your way?
It was cold in Afghanistan, and my feet were always wet. There's nothing like wringing out your smelly wool socks and turning them inside out to pick out all the dead skin, just so you can put them back on again, to make you feel sorry for yourself. Then I thought of my Grandfather (on Mom's side) swimming away from his sinking ship, wondering if he would ever get out of the water again. He lost a couple layers of most of his hide. Suddenly, I felt pretty dry from the ankles up.
Who helped you?
I'll spare everyone the war stories, but everyone who has been scared half to death probably had a buddy like "Bogie", who managed to say at just the right time, "Hey, at least we're not still in Wisconsin". Laughter overcomes fear, and you just can't make yourself laugh.
Help somebody out sometime, and you will find yourself "Over the hump".