Your life is all about how you find it...

I love 'inside' jokes like this. Too funny because they are too true. The real heroes are lost; for the moment passes quickly and the fear is always coming back. I was thinking recently that the Wizard of Oz has had a greater influence on the awarding of medals to insure courage then the guys who worked hard to win, the ones that know what it takes, and pay the price.

I read Gates of Fire, and was in awe that the author captured the true Spartan warrior - his boldness, his professional competence and then during battle  - captured the bravery, then the tired, then the saving of self, the fear, and the overcoming it to fight effectively but hopelessly to the end. About my own life and how I feel 'great' about somethings and not so much about others has to do with what I know about me, my conduct and how short of my goal I fall.

I once organized a twenty-four hour relay race, and there were three teams of ten, and we started running and passing the baton and recording in pictures and script the event. But one of the memories was that going through the heat, the darkness of the night, the stiffening muscles, the longer to finish your mile and the shorter the rest between your chance to get up and do it again, the jokes between runners and recorders, the visits from wives and girl friends - looking at us like we were a little bit crazy. Periodic checks from the command structure to make sure we weren't going to turn this into an embarrassment. And then as the last hour finally showed up, the drive to run just a shade  faster, pass the baton quicker, to look good for the gathering supporters. That was when the battalion commander showed up with his staffers, he was a very fine commander, and he even ran that last lap before the bell to pace those last runners. We set no records, we hurt no one, we all left victorious and worthy -- sure we never needed to do that again.

Lots of challenges in the world, and trying to find good things to do and say, and to be a real help is better than wallowing in misery. I wish y'all luck, I will go see Lincoln today.