One of the most interesting elements of last Memorial Day were the things I realized I was ready to forget.
Like I said before, the drop tested my resolve and that experience with something like a flyer drop compared to leading troopers into battle gave me a whole new respect for the officers I served with.
That said, the reason the drop tested my resolve was because the event itself triggered many of the thoughts and sensations that traditionally sent me into a tailspin.
I felt the feelings I used to feel before insomnia corrupted my nights. I felt the feelings I used to feel before going into a hole of despair and sobbing in the kitchen corner.
It was all there, the fear, the doubt, and the worry, and yet, I slept like a baby the night before the drop and accomplished the mission in stride.
I have been asking myself how this happened and I believe that it is the meditation.
Think about it like this, as a nation we can all agree that taking time every year to appreciate the sacrifices of our warriors is a good thing. It keeps us grounded.
I think mindful meditation has done the same thing for me. By taking a few moments out of every day to sit with my body, my mind, and my spirit I'm more grounded.
A nation grounded in the awareness of the past sacrifices of its citizenry is a more secure nation. An individual grounded in the awareness of the multidimensional nature of who they really are is a more secure individual.
My problem leading up to the drop was that each time I would feel the shadows I would remember my previous failures to mitigate them.
It now seems that those memories are no longer valid.
Dare I allow this Memorial Day to be the time I forget who I was?
This post was guided by the 64th stanza of the Art of Peace, a book written by Morihei Ueshiba
Armor Down has a website. Check it out.
If you like the AD Facebook page and I'll email you the PDF of a book called "Mindfulness in Plain English".
Thrive as a civilian.
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