Tuesday's Ten: So Much Bigger

So today, for reasons I may write about later, I am thinking about some pretty deep things.  But they are manageable at this point, so I am going to focus instead on things that are much bigger than I am, much bigger and scarier than even what we are facing this week.

1.  The doctor, who came here from another country so his children would have a better chance for freedom.  He calls his mother every day he can, for she is still in a war-torn region that erupts with daily, unimaginable violence.

2.  The woman, earning pennies above the poverty line, who lives in fear that something will break, or fail, or need fixes she knows she cannot afford.

3.  The Soldier, coming home, unsure if he will still have a job or even the services he has earned.

4.  The child, frightened of her parents.

5.  The Mom, watching her hair fall to the floor and knowing that it's just a baby step in her fight for her life.

6.  The college graduate, thousands of dollars in debt, searching for a job and unable to even flip burgers because they are overqualified.

7.  Soldiers/Airmen/Marines/Sailors, away from their families and wanting so badly to hold hands and give hugs during Murphy's visits.

8.  A school is reeling today after a shooting left one student in critical care and an officer on administrative leave.

9.  The teacher, doing the best they can but stuck between school districts that are top-heavy and inefficient and parents who never told their children "no".

10.  I'll leave this one blank for you to fill in for yourself-- I'm sure you get the idea.

The fact is, every day, even as we are in our own small little sections of the world and wrapped up in whatever crisis is affecting us right then, there are the foes of fear, waste, sloth, apathy and anger affecting others, too.  How can we be anything less than understanding of others' battles?

How can we be less than kind?

Tuesday's Ten: Sweetness

There are many things that help me during long periods of "away" and I had many of them happen over the last week.  In no particular order:

1.  Hugs.  A simple touch can make a huge difference in a long day.  This is true for anyone, I think, but for a spouse whose Soldier is absent for a long time?  What a gift.

2.  Random moments of understanding.  When someone says "please tell your Soldier thank you," and they have actually served, it means so much.  When they understand that vast improvements in communication don't make up for having him home, it helps too.

3.  Chocolate.  Hey, I'm a girl.

4.  Anything marked "free" from USPS.  Something about that stampless mail just makes my day.

5.  A chat with a friend.  Over the phone, on Facebook, face-to-face in the middle of a huge shopping expo-- brief or long, conversations make a world of difference.

6.  A run of good songs on the radio.  Even if you have Pandora's amazing app (my personal favorite) or Sirius/XM in your car, sometimes there are a zillion songs in a row that you just can't stand.  Other days, your favorites join you the entire way through a hated chore or down a long highway.  (Today's gift-- Hallelujah.)

7.  Helpful friends.  I try really hard not to ask for a lot of favors, but sometimes I just can't be in two places at once.  When people love my kids and lend a hand?  Bliss.

8.  The sound of mowing.  And it's not me.  While I'd love for it to be My G out there making that buzz-buzz-drooooone sound, it's still pretty darn nice that we found a service that does a good job at a reasonable price.  Hmmm...maybe I'm not in such a hurry to fix that mower, after all.

9.  A good pros/cons list.  The suckiest thing during any away, for me, is when My G and I have decisions to make and we have to do it long-distance.  Some life decisions are hard enough when we are right here with each other and can just breathe in the silence of our thoughts.   But when those thoughts and worries and questions come in the middle of the night while we're alone?  This is where the list comes in handy, and helps us connect when we can talk again.

10.  Time.  The simple fact is, even as the "away" sometimes seems to last forever, they don't.  Each day, each week, even each hour in the nighttime, brings him closer to home.