When You Selfishly Think You Had a Bad Day

-
I was feeling sorry for myself as I sat in the Admiral's Lounge, waiting for my flight home. It was a stressful week at work. I logged 76 hours in five days, and I was operating on about 2.5 hours of sleep. I was barely able to keep my eyes open while I waited. Then, something on the tarmac caught my eye. I watched and waited. 

Suddenly,  I felt really small and petty for thinking I had it so bad. 

This is what I saw. 

Quietly, and without prompting, those of us seated near the windows who saw what was happening all stood and watched in silence to show our respect for the fallen anonymous soldier. 

It was a sweltering 95 degrees outside and probably hotter on that tarmac in the stifling humidity. The soldier's comrades never faltered and carried out their honorable task with precision, surrounded by the American Airlines ground crew. 

My week was not hard. 

I am sitting in an airport lounge waiting to board my flight in my first class seat. 

This soldier lost his or her life this week. 

Somewhere a family is grieving this unimaginable loss of their father, mother, sister, brother, son, daughter. 

Who was this soldier?

Did they wake up that morning with thoughts of the future? 

Were they scared as they gave the ultimate sacrifice for us? 

For strangers. 

My tears slid silently down my face and disappeared behind my mask. 

We are selfish. 
We take our freedom for granted. 
We don't appreciate the simple things anymore. 

Was this soldier a person of color, gay, or transgender, giving their life for a country that so often marginalizes them?

This soldier gave their life for strangers, yet we still have friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers who refuse to get a COVID vaccination. 

The pandemic and the delta variant rage on. Yet, so many aren't willing to do what is right to protect others. 

Like this soldier.  

Shame on all those who claim their rights are being violated and refuse to be vaccinated. 

Be honorable like this soldier.

Thank you for your service anonymous soldier. We are grateful for your patriotism and ultimate sacrifice. 

I will never forget you. ❤🇺🇸

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dogs Dogs Dogs

-
Image
A couple of days ago, I went on and on about how much I love chocolate/sweets. One of my other loves is dogs. And, most specifically, I love me a good herding dog. This affection started when I was just a wee one, still in diapers. Here I am with Dusty, one of our first Collies.  Then came Goldie. She still reigns supreme as the #1 Collie when we were growing up. I think I was 6 when she came on the scene as a puppy. She truly was one of the family. She particularly loved going for boat rides with us on our many Sundays at our Grandma's cottage at Lake Delhi. (Lake Delhi...well, that's a story for another day.) Lassie was popular on TV around this time. At one point, my mom stopped letting me watch it because I would cry and cry at every episode. That's remained constant...I have copies of Lassie Come Home and a collection of the best Lassie episodes. Yep, you guessed it. They still make me cry. From the original Lassie Come Home with a young Elizabeth Taylor and R...
Read more

Suppose God is Black

-
On my way home from work tonight, there was a story on NPR about a speech Robert F. Kennedy made in South Africa in 1966. A new documentary, RFK in the Land of Apartheid: Ripple of Hope , is set to air on PBS later this month.   Whenever I hear speeches made by the late Senator Kennedy, I marvel not only at his engaging speaking abilities, but am inspired by the thought provoking and forward thinking ideas he espoused during the turbulent times of the 1960s. Kennedy opened his speech at the University of Cape Town with these words: I came here because of my deep interest and affection for a land settled by the Dutch in the mid-17th century, then taken over by the British and at last independent; a land in which the native inhabitants were at first subdued, but relations with whom remain a problem to this day; a land which defined itself on a hostile frontier; a land which has tamed rich natural resources through the energetic application of modern technology; a land wh...
Read more

Couch to 5K to .... just stay on the couch

-
I'm seeing a pattern in my life, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I'm kind of a quitter. It started way back in 3rd grade when I quit Brownies, followed in 6th grade when I quit piano lessons. Then, after junior high, I gave up volleyball and track, and after freshman year, I quit basketball. Finally, after junior year, I quit band. I quit three different colleges before I finally got my bachelor's degree. I don't know what I was thinking when, earlier this year, some co-workers convinced me to run a 5K with them. They assured me that all I had to do was follow the Couch to 5K  program and it would be a breeze. In just 8 short weeks I would be running a 5K like a pro. I bought into the hype...and assumed it would be totally easy since, at the time, I had almost 20 weeks until the 5K. Hold up, dawg...if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! First off, how many DD track stars do you see? None...I rest my case. In fact, I just googled "female Olympic r...
Read more