No Fear of the Sandman

I slept like a baby in Iraq.

In the five years since I got back, I haven't slept well.

The first two years were the worst. Constant pain in my neck and back. I thought it was my bed.

Well, last night was the fourth night in a row that I slept soundly without any form of self medication.

I hope you smiled at that last point because even as I read it over, I do.

Self meds are the rocks in a mountain stream. These obstacles make the flow interesting, but enough of them will stop the flow all together.

Think about the type of flow required for room clearing ops during close quarters battle. If you don't know anything about CQB, look around your living room and imagine it full of terrorists.

Now imagine that there are 4 high speed 11 bravos stacked outside your door.

Now blink.

In that amount of time, those four SMBRs flood each section of the room, light on their feet, fingers dancing on triggers, all obstacles get a double tap.

All clear.

If only civilian life were so clear cut.

For me, that double tap turned into different variation of a double shot.

At the bar: Jack neat, beer back, HOOAH.

Part of the reason I liked drinking was because it helped me sleep.

I wouldn't drink to get wasted on any regular basis, but I did feel the need to drink daily because I was afraid that if I didn't, I wouldn't fall asleep.

I tried not drinking and using Tylenol PM, which helped, but quite honestly drinking a shot of Russian Standard Vodka was much more enjoyable.

Like I said, I wouldn't get wasted but five years of this creates a lot of rocks.

I don't credit last weeks post with solving the problem, but I do think it did something.

I guess this post is another rock I'm moving from my flow.

I was ashamed of the amount I drank. I rationalized it because I never got sloppy drunk and it helped me sleep.

But waking up this morning after day four felt pretty friggen HOOAH.

The 16th stanza of the Art of Peace, by founder and creator of the Martial Art Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba is: