NewYears IED

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Taking a Crap; Mindfully.

I can't speak to Jane, but
Joe loves to bullshit
all things poop.


Down range it was the best part of my day. Hell, taking a shit was the only part of the day I was left alone.

Now I have heard a lot of teachers,
tell other teachers who teach veterans'
yoga, meditation, and the like,
Not to use the word relaxation.

The idea is that the soldier will take offense to the word or not really know how to relate to it.

Start talking about taking a dump. Relaxation is part of the process.

I'll never forget one morning on FOB Loyalty. We had just finished a 4 hour patrol. My gunner was at the gym and my team leader was in the TOC.

I grabbed the latest Maxim magazine and walked the 75 yards or so to the latrine. This latrine was not your Vietnam era hole in a bench over a barrel. Nope this was a beautifully maintained latrine with eight stalls, six sinks, hot water, high dividers on the inside and concrete walls outside.

Just picture a concrete fortified double wide trailer with AC.

Anyway, my favorite stall was the last one.

So there I sat perfectly content to let nature take its course. I had the time.

Unfortunately for me and subsequently my internal environment mortars started to fall. Now, we had been mortared a ton of times so after I heard how far off the first three were I settle back into the magazine.

Well three bombs turned into 6, then 9 then 12, until a steady stream of explosions started rocking the base.

Fearing death with my pants down I popped smoke and ran into a bunker.

This experience impacted my ability to relax in my favorite stall for the rest of the deployment. I continued to get the job done but gone was the relaxation and joy.
Now, getting the Browns to the Super Bowl was a matter of force and speed.

Sure this method had its merit.

I was in and out, quick.

But often I was left with a fundamental dissatisfaction with a foundation of my day.

The worst part about this shows up when looked at from the perspective of a potentially infinite soul.

If I'm made in image and likeness of the great spirit then how I am is how I am with others.

On myself, a speedy shit routine is .....well........routine.

For my little baby daughter.....not so much.

For whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7)

Shit


The reality of all this is that my unmindfulass was taking care of the delicates of the delicates with the mind of a meat head.

So mindless was I that I mindlessly took care of her delicates the same way I took care of my own.

Mindless is as mindless does, Hooah?

You don't think you create your own reality?

The consequences surrounding mindlessness in the land of a three month old's delicate of delicates are heart breaking and time consuming.

I don't know for sure if my mindless behavior cause my daughter to suffer, but you can bet your ass I'm going to be more mindful whenever nature calls to either of us.

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