NASTALGA

Most of the articles I write these days are a reflection of the past. Some people like to refer to the past as the good old days. I would never do that simply because there were a lot of bad old days intermingled with the good ones.


It appears that it is much easer for the human mind to block out the bad and more vividly remember things such as the loves, friendships, parties, achievements, Christmases, social/family events, marriages, births, graduations, military service, a good job, money etc..

It is a little more difficult to really think back and remember the break ups of loves/friendships, hangovers from the parties, failures, family fights and bad presents from Christmases past, hassles of readying for and attending social/family events you did not necessarily want to attend but once you did had an even worse time than you anticipated, divorces, the pain and suffering of pregnancy and birth, deaths, the stress and failed expectations of college, combat duty, bad jobs/between jobs, lack of money etc..

Bad things happen to everybody. You will never make it through life without some of the bad things above and a litany of other disasters touching you. If you are a young person be prepared. If you are older, you should have learned to deal with life slams by now. A clear head, planning and persistence are the key. If you are a religious person, praying may help with the clear thinking and focus but regardless of the Deity to which you are praying, they all appear to help those that help themselves.

There is an old saying that I read somewhere along the way: “You are not judged by how badly you screw up or get knocked down by a bad event but rather how you react and how quickly you recover.”

Personally I think the bad that happens to us has more of an impact on who we are than the good. The bad has more of a lasting effect and causes a person to pay more attention to his circumstances. This focus aids insure he is better prepared next time if the event cannot be avoided altogether. Without the bad events we would not as well appreciate the good that comes our way.

I guess the point I am making is that when we old codgers look back on our lives and start thinking things were so much better in the old days, we should really think about it. Were they really all that much better? Do a reality check. I personally think it is a mixture of better and worse. I think many things like crimes were always there, we just did not hear about them 24 hours a day and in the detail we have today. Health issues are much better addressed today. Most of us older folks would have been long dead or worse in the old days. Look at all the issues you think were better and think about it. 25 Cent per gallon gas - Yes, but purchased on a $30 a week or less salary using a vehicle that got 8 miles per gallon.

So, to conclude these ramblings, I am asking you to really think about what it was really like when you tell the grandkids about “the good old days”. Were they really as GOOD as your initial reminisce concluded they were?

WHAT HAPPENED IN YOUR BIRTHYEAR

Interesting take on other similar sites I have seen.

http://whathappenedinmybirthyear.com/

COUPLE IN RAIN

Another of the random straight line drawings like the last post.

This one I did a few months ago while playing around with the younger grandkids. They all like to draw and color. A couple I have gotten interested in painting and one of which does pretty good. I will have to publish one or two of his works soon.

actually I have a whole large 3 ring binder full of these line images and other doodles. 

WALKING MAN

This is a doodle I did in a boring staff meeting back in 2000 during my 2d tour in Israel. 

I find that if I draw enough random short straight lines on a piece of paper or canvas eventually something will emerge that I recognize enough to start filling and adding to the lines. It will eventually turn into a full drawing or perhaps a painting.

This one is framed and hangs in my bedroom.

THE CALLING

Over the course of the last few years I have reflected on why I made specific decisions in my life that in one of my previous postings I describe as life altering. In particular I have considered those decisions that took me into professions resulting in me and in many cases my wife subjecting ourselves to the dangers, uncertainties, stress, prolonged absences from family and many other difficulties associated with living in foreign environments.

As best I can describe it, those decisions are due to a "calling". This term is, I think most often associated with religion and the service to the various churches/religions.

The implication is God has called one to serve in some field or manner.
I am not particularly religious and do not think this is the case. I do believe most if not all people have a "calling" based on 1. the individuals basic physical (genetic) mental make-up and 2. some ideas to which the person has been subjected in early life. For example I was born in the middle of World War II and my early life was filled with news and movies of war and soldiers plus my contact with the veterans. There was, therefore, never a time that I did not feel I was destine to be a Soldier. When the opportunity presented itself I answered that "calling".

Another "calling" was the urge to travel and see more of the world - hopefully with some good purpose. The travels to Southeast Asia and Europe as a soldier greatly enhanced this desire. After the kids were grown and had jobs, opportunity to fulfill this desire knocked and again I answered the call. This resulted in over 8 years in the middle east.

I believe that opportunities are constantly knocking on our doors but most people are too lazy or fearful to get up off the comfort of the couch and answer the door.

A friend of mine since high school who has also, and in fact, even more so faced the dangers and problems associated with leaving our comfortable little small town and answering his "calling" had this to say on the matter.

" I reflect back on the high school days when our travels had yet to begin -- some only distant dreams, some probably had no dreams --- some had a stirring which they were trying to develop to see what the calling was--for some -- what ever it was certainly was not around Oxford AL--- they had to go a bit further to find what was calling... some heard the call but never went....we have now traveled to where we can look back to see where we've been....but really can't see where we are going..."

I do not know if my buddy or I served any higher purpose in our travels or jobs but we were a tiny part of History, we placed ourselves in "harms way" on occasion, we did what we thought was right when most of the folks back home thought we were nuts (the Military and Foreign Service are full of our kind) and we faced a great deal of frustration in our travels.

Once a traveler returns to the States it is difficult to find someone to talk with that has any idea what you are talking about. They have not had the experiences or faced the same difficulties so they will listen and look at you with blank eyes. They have never heard the sound of artillery, B-52 near bomb runs, incoming rocket alarms or seen machine gun tracers going over their heads. They have never traveled in an armored personnel carrier through German forests or in an armored SUV through Gaza or the West Bank with body guards. They have never been through family evacuations due to eminent attack, never slept in a hole in the ground, eaten breakfast (if lucky enough to have it) in a pouring cold rain with no shelter or woke up in the morning on the ground covered in snow with your rifle frozen to the ground. Never have they heard missile intercept missiles roar over the building you are in and hear the contact explosions in the distance. There are a thousand such things that have molded the lives of many of us travelers that have never touched our relatives and friends in the States.

All in all I think the person that answers his or her "callings" is better off for it, even with the dangers and difficulties. Now that I am in the declining years of my life and will probably never be a player again, I can look back and feel little if any regret for not having done something with my life that I really wanted.

YET ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT ART

This painting was done in late 1995 from a photo I took in Austria. At that time I was stationed in Israel and Jeannie and I, along with another couple and their two teenage boys, took a two week vacation driving through Germany and Austria.

That was an interesting trip on many levels but that can wait for another story. It was a life adventure.

INVITED CONTRIBUTORS

I have recently invited some of my friends to provide input into this Blog site. None of them have done much in the way of writing for this type of publication as far as I know. They are all smart, well educated, write well in their E-mails and I am sure have something to say about something. None, some or all may post to the Blog whatever is of interest to them or they feel some of my readers might find interesting. I am encouraging them to do so as I feel diversity and new offerings will make this site more interesting for my readers.

One of the invitees has previously allowed me to publish some of her poetry. She is Armenian, born and raised in the Old City of Jerusalem, speaks several languages and works for an Agency of the U.S. Government. I hope she will contribute more poetry or new articles for our enjoyment.

Another invitee is an old High School buddy who spent many years in Vietnam, Asia and the Middle East. He was a pilot in the U.S. Army and later with Air America. He has also flown under contract for Singapore and lastly, flying L1011s for Saudi Arabia. Like me he is reluctantly retired.

Others include a lady I worked with many years ago and who now is retired and another old High School buddy with whom I lost touch until recently.  know these people have many stories or views that would be of interest to all.

Here is to hoping these individuals will take the opportunity to to express themselves for the benefit of all.