Special I've Been Thinking WAY Too Much Wednesday's (That's Publishing On Thursday) Digressions Bonus Edition

Fourth ID soldiers.





• People who know me now might would be surprised (in a way) where I've been in a religious or spiritual sense in the past.




• People who've known me in the past would be surprised where I'm at now.




• Man, that was vague- thought I wanted to talk about that more than I did I guess.




• A hint: a preacher who visited a facility I had a patient in was surprised I wasn't,"A church person." and said he didn't think a person who wasn't," Could get what you do."




• He began to quote a long- ish scripture to me- I finished it for him. His jaw dropped.




• I feel a little bummed when people who used to comment here stop- that surprises me quite a lot.




• For almost always comes out fro when I type.




• When you send troops a care package you can never go wrong with a Frisbee but, get a heavier/ larger one over a gimme or dollar store type. 180 gram actual Frisbeee brand is probably the best bet. They can carry them everywhere and break them out during downtime. A good second that is highly appreciated is a football but, send a pump and extra needles. For hygiene items any Aveeno product (especially shave cream) and sport deodorants- not regular or cheapo types.




• A flashback that I may have mentioned here before struck me again recently. I've talked before about how my nursing background assured I'd be included in medical emergencies on the battlefield- whether I wanted it or not. Once on a rare patrol I wasn't leading the lead squad leader called over the radio," Bravo 6 Bravo 6 this is Bravo 2. We've got casualties up here- send the doc and combatkevin pronto." "This is 6- what you got?" "At least one wounded- abdominal wound, blood everywhere- looks bad over."




• Well, another one I thought I wanted to talk about.



• OK, I guess I'll say when I see a pink crepe myrtle in bloom in takes me there- hard. Also, that casualty comes to me in my dreams sometimes. Initially there was blame, "You could have done more." "Why didn't you help me?" Or, sometimes just staring at me angrily burning a hole through my heart. Now sometimes it's, "Don't worry- I'm OK, you tried." and even, "I'm sorry when we met that day it hurt you so bad."




• The patient was in too much distress to talk so I don't even know what their voice sounded like.




• But, in a way I do.




• OK, so I am talking about that day in October.




• Sometimes it's just some happy even joyous laughter of the patient in the background and I'm looking down at the blooms of that crepe myrtle swirling around on the ground and I hear the sound of my breath as I inhale and exhale twice and always exactly twice then I hear my temporal pulse pounding in my head then slowing gradually. Then I hear the wind rustling through the Crepes and I wake up at that point.




• Every time.