Post-Military: Challenges, Adversity, and All that Stuff

I seem to be much more mindful of an old joke about living with circumstances – perhaps this is because, as a Vietnam-era veteran, I am facing some medical issues that shove my mortality squarely into my face. The joke that I keep coming back to is that “sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you.” Basically, it means sometimes you overcome your problems, and sometimes they overcome you.

But lately, it would really be nice to just shoot the damn bear.

Does that mean I am sitting around and quietly waiting for the end? NOPE. I am still living my life to the fullest and enjoying each day as it comes. I have had to change a few things - I am eating more now while “shrinking” a bit less. My daily visits to the gym are not as long as they used to be – one of my wonderful circumstances is called anemia, where my blood doesn’t have enough red blood cells, which causes me to feel fatigued quickly. The “tank” is not always as full as I would like. I still see the glass as always full (even it is filled with air). And while I might not see myself make it to the ripe old age of 150 that I daydream about, I still am not ready to lay down and give up.

What does this all mean to you? Well it might be something you want to think about for yourself. We all have circumstances. They are not always as visible as missing body parts or the results of war, accident or injury. Sometimes our circumstances are those that we allow to run our lives in ways that diminish us (chemical or some other dependency).

My simple advice? Be in charge of your life and not stuck in your stuff. Simplistic? Yes! Easy to do? Probably not, yet it is completely worth the effort. If you don’t like the way you look or feel, then change it – get your lard ass to the gym, if that is a solution. Adopt a healthier diet – if you can’t cook, then learn! Want a better job, more income, better place to live, and better circumstances? Go and find it, learn how to do it, be more than you currently are.

There is nothing in life that cannot be learned. One of my favorite quotes from Henry Ford is: “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right.”

Know that however lacking or limited your life may be right now, that there is always someone else who has less and is managing much better than you are. Not sure? Take a look at any Paralympian who has overcome his or her physical “limitations” to take home Olympic gold.

We have all put on our country’s uniform and committed ourselves to everything that it entails. Do not ever stop your commitment to living and building a better life for yourself and those around you.

If you think you can do something or learn something or overcome something, then you have at least won half the battle.