In a World of Pure Imagination

It was a pretty typical Saturday morning for me.  I was sitting in Starbucks, enjoying my Coke Zero from Burger King, because Starbucks doesn’t serve fountain sodas, when this lady walked into the coffee shop.  I had seen her before.  We have even had a couple of interactions, but nothing substantial.  All that was about to change.

She is tall, probably 5’ 10” or more.  Her face shows the years, and I would guess her age to be in the early to mid 60s range.  While you probably couldn’t pick her out of a line up, she does wear bright teal shorts with a matching T-shirt.  She doesn’t so much walk around the store, as shuffles, quickly moving from one table to another as she tries to determine exactly where she wants to sit. 

Our interactions in the past have been brief.  While I sit at the end of the one long table waiting on friends, she would come up to me and take an interest in my computer.  She asks me if it is a Mac.  I reply with a yes.  She asks how much it costs.  I give her a ballpark figure.  She is genuinely interested, and tells me that it’s nice and walks off to order her beverage of choice. 

However, this Saturday is different.  She arrives with an older woman, later identified as her mother.  She is caring toward her mother, who is probably in her 80s, and can’t walk so well.  They order their favorite coffee creations and sit in the comfy chairs a few feet from where I am working.  I don’t listen to their random chitchat, but within a few minutes they are leaving the store. 

This was not the end of her Starbucks day though.  Just two minutes later she reenters the store without her mother.  She chats with another gentleman who holds regular office hours at the store.  They even go out to enjoy a cigarette together.   It was after this when my Saturday would become surreal.  It would be the beginning of a wild experience I will not soon forget. 

Ok, so let me pause for a moment and say that while I am usually not the most patient person in the room, I also don’t care to make a scene in a public place when it really isn’t warranted.  I am pretty good at multitasking, and if I need to, I can let people chat while I type away doing whatever it is I need to do.  I catch most of what they are saying, and even respond from time to time.  Sometimes people just need to talk.

The woman walks back into Starbucks and comes straight at me.  She once again repeats the encounter we have had before.  She asks about my computer, wonders its cost, and then walks back to where she left her drink.  However, that was not the end.  A few minutes later she returned to my table, and took a seat right next to me.
She took another look at my computer and told me that it was a shame about Steve Jobs.  She let me know that he was a young man, who was probably about my age.    I didn’t think I looked that old.  Mr. Jobs died when he was 56. 

I could say something.  I could tell the lady that I am waiting on a friend and that I need to get some work done before she arrives.  I could leave and come back.  I could go to the bathroom, hoping that when I come back she would have left.  I didn’t though.  I stayed, and I learned a lot about this woman and her life.  Here are some things I did not know.

·      Her father knew Elvis Presley.  She asked her dad to invite him over to dinner, and when he came to the house he fix her eyesight.  It turned out that Elvis became an Ophthalmologist while he was in the Army.

·      She worked at the highest level as a civilian in the Defense Commissary Agency. When I say highest level, I mean the equivalent to a General.
·      
     Her father was Dwight D. Eisenhower, which could explain how she met Elvis.

·      She dated Bobby Kennedy, whom her father liked despite his Democrat affiliation.  She refused to let Bobby into the White House until he bought and wore a bulletproof vest.  (Eerie)

·       She is a Doctor, Lawyer and Lifeguard

·      She runs sound for Kenny Rogers during all of his concerts.  She loves doing it, however, he is very rude and she has had to tell him to “Never talk to me that way again” on more than one occasion.
 
·      She has more money than God, however, Obama is spending it all wrong.  (She also said that she could pay off the National Debt)

…and last but not least

·      She gave her a phone number that I am to call for free Kenny Rogers tickets on May 9th.  She will get us backstage to meet him and after the show will fly us to West Palm Beach on her private plane.  I had to unfortunately say no since we will already be in Florida on vacation. 

Of course, since I have my computer I am using Google to verify all of this information as it is coming out.  I mean, I guess Elvis could have gotten some eye training in the Army.  I didn’t know if Eisenhower had a daughter.  It’s possible to be a doctor and a lawyer and a lifeguard.   And Bobby Kennedy probably had a girlfriend at some point. 

None of it was true of course, as I suspected from the beginning.  She is just a lady with a few facts confused and who knows the life that she has lived up until this point.  I concluded that she doesn’t have a lot of interaction with a lot of people and decided that interaction with me was better than sitting alone.  Over the course of an hour she got up two or three times to go smoke and then would come back, tell me she would only stay for a minute and continue these fantastical stories of her past.  It was strange, but nothing prepared me for what was to come. 

Like, I said earlier, I had brought a Large Coke Zero into the coffee shop with me.  This is not unusual, as I do it on most days.  I don’t drink a lot of coffee and like soda better.  Plus, I am normally with 2 or 3 folks who order something, and let’s face it, Heather and my mother have spent small fortunes on Grande, Skinny, White Chocolate Mochas over the years, so I don’t feel bad about using their WiFi for a few hours.  If the tables were full and they needed the space, I would leave, but they don’t, so I stay. 

My cup sits next to the left side of my computer.  This also happened to be next to the seat where this stranger had take residence.  After all of these stories, after all the fantasy, I guess she needed to put a cherry on top, so she grabbed my soda cup and started playing with the straw.   I was watching this in horror, wondering if now was the time to say something.  Was now the time to stand up and ask her to leave?  Was now the time to call her on her bullshit?  Was now the time to set her straight?  Since the cup was mostly empty, I decided to let it go.

Then, as I was looking down, still typing away at whatever I had deemed to be the distraction I needed to the reality that was becoming my day, I saw what in the back of my head I knew was coming.  She took a sip of my soda.  She wrapped her mouth around that straw and slurped up the remnants of my Coke Zero and melted ice.  I just kept typing, my brain repeating some line from a movie I can’t remember, “You can mess with my woman, but don’t you dare mess with my Coke Zero.” 

Still, I remained calm.  She immediately realized her mistake and apologized.  I told her it was ok and kept typing.  She kept at the apology as if she had just run over my dog, and I kept reassuring her that I was finished with the drink.  (I was finished as soon as she touched the straw.)  She was truly repentant, and I was truly ready for her to leave.  I couldn’t go since my friend would be there any minute.  Still, I held my tongue. 

Finally, my friend arrived and this enigma of a person left the table.  She did come over one more time to make sure that I would call for the free meet and greet, but our interaction that day was over.  I did my business, and left Starbucks wondering just what that was all about.  It’s not every day that a stranger comes to your table, tells you that Elvis gave her Lasik, and drinks your Coke Zero.  I was just lucky I guess. 

In all of this I am trying to find so lesson, some moral that will help me to invoke some brilliant words of wisdom.  I mean, I could write about how we should all be nice to people.  I could pontificate about how just listening to this woman could have made her day a little bit brighter.  I could muse about treating her how I want to be treated because that is the right thing to do, but I think we all know all that.  There has to be something more. 

And there is.  Of course, there is.  It wouldn’t be complete unless there was something more, and here it goes.  In my life as Mr. Army Wife, I meet all kinds of people.  I mean ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE.  They each have their own special abilities, talents, personalities, and quirks.  They each feel, think, love, and believe different things.  AND, and this is a big one, all of them have their own level of crazy.  I am not saying this stranger was insane, I am merely saying that we all live in our own worlds at times, where the truth of our existence and the fantasy that we believe can become clouded and blurred in a mess that becomes our lives.

When I watch my friends’ children play, I see this example lived out in its purest form.  The little girls believe they are the Disney Princesses they choose to emulate.  The little boys know they are their favorite sports stars.  The reality is that they are dreaming, imagining a life where the possibilities are endless and the truth is that they can become whatever their mind dreams up.  They can be Spiderman, or Iron Man, or a fireman.  They can be Snow White, or Aurora, or the first female superhero to get her own stand-alone movie.

Maybe this is where this lady is in life.  Maybe she still sees the joy in being related to a President and dating a young Kennedy.  (There are a lot of women who still dream of this.)  Maybe remembering Elvis as a houseguest and doctor helps her in some way.  Maybe drinking my drink…ok, I have nothing for that, and I’m still not over it. 

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter in my life what she believes about hers.  I still got my work done, and I got this great story out of it.  She didn’t hurt me or herself or anyone else around us.  She just needed to sit down and talk.  She needed to dream about her younger days, or maybe what she wished her younger days were right.  I think we all need to do that from time to time. 


While I was writing this two days later, she came back to the Starbucks and sat in the same seat.  She was quieter this time and seemed to realize that I was working on something important.  (Little does she know…)  She bought me some Banana Bread, made her rounds, and yes, even stuck to her story about Kenny Rogers.  Clearly, she lives inside her head, in her own little world. But if it is a better place to live, then why not?  I like living in my head sometimes too. 

Snow Day!

It’s going to snow today.  I don’t like that.  I’m not a big fan.  Being a Florida boy has ruined me to one significant thing.  In Florida, you never have to worry about slipping or sliding on ice or snow when you are walking, running or driving.  There is no such thing a black ice, or accumulated snowfall.  We have our fair share of rain to be sure.  But driving in a rainstorm is a lot different than driving over a surface that no longer wants to accept your tire tread.  So, being a Florida boy, I, for the most part, choose not to drive when it snows or is icy outside.  There are exceptions, but those are rare. 

What I do a lot of on snowy days is spend time thinking and writing?  This morning, as I was thinking about what to write about a thought hit me.  I know a lot of people that I have met throughout my time in the military community.  I know a lot from college.   I know a lot from high school and my childhood.  The truth is that I have met a lot of people in the course of my life, and not one of them is the same.  All of them have different characteristics and attitudes that make them who they are.  I can’t change them, nor should I expect to.  They aren’t going to change me. 

So, in thinking about the people I have met over the years, and the weather we are about to have, a thought popped in my head.   The people we meet are very much like the weather we experience.  No two people are alike, just like no two days are exactly the same.  Our visit with one person can quickly change when another person is added to the mix.  One minute we can be driving through the fog, while the next we can see clearly 2 miles down the road. 

The Weather People

Because this is how my brain works, I will prove to you that people are like the weather.  Just think about your daily life.  When you come across someone, are they like a ray of sunshine?  When your boss enters the room can you see the thunderclouds rolling in?  Is there a fog that follows an appearance by your crazy family member that just makes everything more confusing?  I propose that there are all of these things and many more.   So let’s see if we can describe them. 

Sunny and 75 – I think most would describe this as near perfect weather, and being Florida born and raised I would have to agree.  While there are no perfect people in this world, there are those that just brighten up a room whenever they walk into it.  They are almost always positive.  They always have a kind word, and never seem to get angry.  They are the people we look too when we are feeling a bit down, because we know they will be able to cheer us up.

Partly or Mostly Cloudy – I don’t mind partly cloudy or even mostly cloudy weather when I am spending a lot of time outside golfing or doing some other activity.  However, it’s sometimes hard to judge how the day is going to turn out because of the clouds.  Is it going to rain, or not?  Are the clouds going to make it too dark to do things?  There are people in life like that too.  You don’t mind being around them, but at the same time they could possibly make life a little harder to predict. 

Rain – This is one of those weather systems that can go either way depending on your mood.  Sometimes a soft rain early in the morning or in the afternoon can paint a beautiful picture of life.  After all it is a necessity for survival.  There are times however when even the smallest amount of rain can ruin whatever day you had planned.  Some people have that knack as well.  You want to see them at certain times, but at others you just hope they stay away.

Thunder and Lightning - They scare the crap out of you, are totally random and have no pattern that make any sense.  If you get too close it will make all your hair stand on end, or could hurt.  There is no one in your life like that now is there?  If they get to Hurricane status….WATCH OUT!!!

Wind - A small breeze is fine.  It can be cooling and soothing.   There are a lot of people that are like that as well.  The gently disrupt your life with a simple touch or a small act of kindness.  Then there are those that whip you around like a tornado, and toss you aside much the same way.  They make the straight path curve, and the clean path littered. 

Fog – Fog is made to confuse, because it can take a path we have travelled a thousand times and make it as unclear as a maze.  What was suddenly sure, isn’t and obstacles that were never there before can come out of nowhere.  These are the people that cause drama.  You know them, I know them and if you don’t know them, think about what that could mean!!!

Snow – Snow is beautiful.  There is no two ways about it.  When it is falling it just looks as if it is flowing in a cascade of peacefulness.  When it completely covers the ground it looks as if it has washed the earth in purity.  It can cause feelings of serenity and excitement.  Kids and adults alike love it because of the play land possibilities.   I equate it to my favorite aunts and uncles.  That one time of year when they visited, and we would get to do special things like going to an amusement park or eating at a fancy restaurant.

Snow, Day 2 – Then it overstays its welcome.  It gets dirty, messy and turns your yard into a wetland.  Then when the night comes and temperatures freeze, the beautiful snow turns to ice.  It becomes a danger to drive on.  The piles of shoveled powder turn to blocks of dirty ice and even the snowman starts to wonder why he is still alive.  Think about that in terms of people who are in your life and you have no idea how they have hung around as long as they have.  But, you deal because you really don’t have a choice, except to wait until it melts away.

Hot and Humid – The miserable weather that is 100 degrees with 100% humidity is something us Florida folks know a lot about.  It comes on days when we know better than to leave the house, because even a walk to the mailbox causes excess sweat to permeate your pores.  That uncomfortable feeling gets into every crevice of your skin causing you to want nothing more than the sweet relief of anything cold.  There are people in your life like this too.  They make you squirm.  They make you desire sweet relief in any form.  They drive you to drink something cold and wet, and usually alcoholic. 

It’s Real Life

There are a lot more weather patterns that I could use to describe the people in our lives, but I think you get the point.  That and it’s about to start snowing here, and I need to go stock up on groceries before I am locked away in my house for a week.  My point is that throughout our days on planet earth we are going to have to put with a lot of different treats that Mother Nature has in store for us.  There are going to be storms that knock out our electricity and cable.  There are going to be snow days and hurricane days and other days when parents are going to have to stay home from work with the kids.  There are going to be times when our cars will get stuck in a foot of something that we most likely will have to use a shovel on to get out of.

Why?  Because it’s life.  It is, for the most part, unpredictable and unreliable.  Your knowledge of how to deal with weather events doesn’t make them any less likely to affect your life.  Snow is going to fall.  Clouds are going to roll through.  Rain is going to wash away your flower garden. 

The people you meet along the way are unpredictable as well.  No two are going to be the same, no matter how hard you try to surround yourself with your version of the “right” people.  It’s a part of life that we have to interact with someone through out our day that isn’t Sunny and 75.  They could be having a bad day and be in a rut.  In my experience most people don’t go out their front door in the morning with the intent of raining down pain and hurt on anyone.  They just have become who they are and don’t know they are the thunderstorms in some peoples’ lives. 

Here’s another thing.  Each person views the weather differently.  Some people love the cold and the snow.  They can’t stand Sunny and 75. (Who are these people, I have no idea.)  Some are one weather pattern one day, but due to whatever is going on in their lives can be rainy and windy the next.  You just never know, but you roll with it because like I said, that’s life. 

As for me, I think I am a bit partly cloudy/mostly sunny with a side of abrasive wind in your face.  Maybe others would describe me a little different, but for the most party I try and stay positive.  I know I’m not the person that brightens up a room, but hey, I married one of those so at least I come with it most of the time.  It’s a hard life living in good weather conditions. 

So, now I go, preparing for the snow.  Preparing to deal with the peaceful afternoon of snowfall that will turn into a night of trying to safely drive to work without slipping and sliding all over the road.  Off I go to deal with people working, where they are probably in cloudy moods, maybe some raining hard because their kid is home alone on this snow day.  You just never know. 


No matter what though, I will deal.  I will ride out whatever storm of weather or people I come across and in any case I will try and help others make it through as well.  No one likes getting stuck in the snow, ice, mud or rain.  And together I think we can make it Sunny and comfortable, whatever the weather. 

An Open Letter to My Non-Military Spouse Friends

Say Anything?

Last night I was speaking with a friend whose husband is currently deployed.  I asked her how she was doing, how her baby was doing, how her pregnancy was going and of course, how her husband was doing.  We talked for a few minutes about all of the things going on in both of our lives.  Some things were good.  Some things were bad.  She was coping with the deployment just fine, as I expected that she would.  Then another topic came up. 

This particular young lady was telling me about a friend whose husband was also out of town.  He wasn’t deployed, or part of the military, but he was gone for a few days.   She said that she asked her friend if there was anything she could do while her husband was out of town.  “He’s gone for a week?” was my response.  Hers? “I know increments of time are different to everyone in how it makes them feel, especially to non military.  So I try to be sensitive.”

I was amazed too.  Her compassion for others going through something so less severe than the deployment of a spouse is awesome.  Especially since during most times we spend time with our civilian spouse counterparts, there are always those few moments of awkward silence as they try and figure out what to say about our own deployment situations.   

Then it happens.  It’s inevitable.  They just can’t help themselves.  In their uncomfortableness, and in their desire to make us feel better they say something that makes us turn our heads and roll our eyes.  We know they mean well.  We know they don’t mean to say something mean or hurtful, but yet we as military spouses certainly can take it that way.  So here I am to help. 

Now, let me be clear.  If I am offended by something you say, that is my problem not yours.  You certainly are entitled to your opinions and I, more than most, encourage you to share them.  But in this instance, I don’t think people are looking to blurt out controversial statements.  I think they really do want to help.  I think they really do sympathize and want to console and encourage.  I just don’t think they know how.  My friend equated it with not knowing what to say when someone passes away.  She’s kind of right!

So for my civilian friends and family members here are the top 10 things you don’t need to say to us when our loved ones are deployed or gone for military service. 

10.  9 months isn’t that long.  (Ask a pregnant woman if 9 months isn’t that long)

9.  At least he’s not in ____________________. (Gone is gone!)

8.  The time will go by fast.  (No it won’t)

7.  You must enjoy the extra pay. (Yep, HAZARD pay and HARDSHIP pay is an AWESOME replacement for my spouse.)

6.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder. (quotes suck!)

5.  Was he near (whatever bad thing just made the news that week?)  (He was a lot closer than we were.  That’s his job!)

4.  I could never do it.  (Yeah, we all thought that too, and then suddenly we became super heroes.)

3.  Does he get to come home for (Christmas, anniversary, birthday?)  (The answer is always no!)

2.  It must suck being a married and single all at the same time. (Nah, I get the whole bed to myself and get to watch whatever I want on TV.)

1.     Military Spouse – Toughest Job in the Military.  (No, I think leaving home and getting shot at is tougher.)

There are plenty of others, but I think you probably get the point.  To us, in our minds, these are condescending things that don’t really help our situations whatever they may be.  When our spouses are deployed, or out for training or at a range or wherever they may be, there are tons of different things that could happen to them.  These are always on our minds.  And until they are safely in our arms again, there is nothing that will get them out.

Let me share my personal experience with you.  Heather has been deployed twice.   Each time there has been a pit in my stomach because of the fear that she might not come home.  Thankfully, because of technology we were in daily contact during the second deployment, but that doesn’t change the fact that she was in a dangerous place surrounded by an unstable environment that at any moment could erupt. 

The advent of technology has allowed Soldiers and their families to remain close during deployments.  Husbands and wives can watch movies together while Skyping.  A child’s birthday party can be streamed live around the world so Mommy doesn’t have to miss it.  Apps and cell phones can now send texts in real time so that every night there is an “I love you,” and a “good morning” when the sun comes up.  We are blessed by this much contact when people even at the beginning of this war had little.  But it comes with its downfalls as well. 

Everyday I waited for Heather to get on Yahoo Instant Messenger and tell me about her day.  She would be there around 2 or 3 pm and we would spend 30 minutes to an hour typing and talking.  Then she would go to bed and I would feel ok knowing she was safe.  These were the good days.  The days when I knew where she was and how she was doing.  They didn’t happen all the time. 
Why?  Because there were days when she didn’t log on at 2 or 3 or 4 or 5.  There were days when I would lay down at 11 or 12 to try and sleep even though I hadn’t heard from her.  Those days suck, and they are what separate us from the other spouses whose husband and wives go away on business.  They get our minds reeling.  Rolling with the possibilities of what could have happened. 

For me, it was always negative.  Something awful had happened and now I am going to have to do all of the things I never want to do.  I am going to have to plan not one but three memorial services for her.  I am going to have to tell her parents.  I am going to have to scatter her….I can’t even bring myself to finish writing this, so hopefully you get the idea. 

My brain gets so cluttered with these negative thoughts that I don’t sleep.  I won’t sleep until I hear from her.  There isn’t even a chance.  That bottle of wine I drank.  That doesn’t do the trick.  Reading…nope.  Praying…nope.  I am awake and tired and worried. 

The next morning would come and thankfully there is an email or a text or a phone call to let me know that the internet was down, or she had some top secret mission she had to go on.  (kidding about the last part, settle down.)  The point is she was fine and it was just my mind playing tricks on me.  This happens more often than you think.  And when people say the things listed above, negative thoughts, not happy ones run through our minds. 

So, what should you say?  I don’t want to be the guy who tells you there is a problem and not offer a solution so here it is.  What should I say to a military spouse during a time when his or her spouse is gone?  Here is a list for you.

1.     Can I take you to lunch?  (We all gotta eat don’t we?)

2.     How is everyone doing?  (perfectly normal, open ended question)

3.     Can I (be specific?) (take the kids on a play date, help clean the house.  Be specific because we will probably say no to random help.)

4.     Thank You.  (You have no idea how much this means to us and to our Soldiers.)

5.     Nothing.  (Sometimes we don’t mind the awkward silence.  Just being around friends is good enough.)

Once again, this list isn’t exhaustive and different spouses will have different reactions, but it is a good rule of thumb based on my experiences and those of other spouses I have talked to over the years.  When our spouses are deployed, the only thing we care about is their safety.  We are concerned that they are being taken care of, and that everything is being done to bring them home as soon as possible.  If you have the power to do that, GREAT!  I suspect most of you do not though, so just be there for us.

One final thing…I have great friends and family.  For the past 13 years that Heather and I have been on this military journey, they have been amazing support systems for the both of us.  They have laughed with us, cried with us, hugged us when we have come home or when we have left.  They are constant prayer warriors when Heather is in harm’s way, and will never let either of us go without knowing we are loved.  They are amazing.

One thing I think we as military spouses forget to do is say thank you too.  We are thanked a lot.  Our Soldiers are rightfully thanked even more.  But there is a whole population out there that knows very little about that plight of the military family, yet is wholly supportive and caring.  They buy us a meal or a small token just because.  They bake cookies and send them out to Soldiers they will never meet.  They draw pictures in their 2nd grade class to tell us how much they appreciate the sacrifices we make.  They are the people our Soldiers fight for, and they understand that more than others. 


To my friends and family who have been so supportive over the past 13 years.  Thank you.  You will never know how much your support and love mean to Heather and I.  We have at least 7 years to go, and will need you to be there for us throughout.  I know you will be, and I know you will always say the right things.