What I have been marveling about is my healing, my recovery and how long it has been going on and I think is still in progress. I had no idea how far I had fallen in health, just that it wasn't there anymore. 2011 and 2012 were probably the bottom, I hope to never get that far down again, since coming back is awful - but necessarily so slow... so slow. Still haven't run again - and a gentle jog would be enough to convince me that I could, but I am still hesitant to trust myself and the pacemaker - it isn't far to fall in the YMCA and there are lots of fine folks around to save me... but I don't want to trouble them. Still, I am getting better and stronger and think if I continue to take it slow it will happen again.
Something else in the universe has happened also, and I need to make a call, but I have had a desire, not a need, for a 1903 A3, and I thought if I kept asking I might win the Lottery and find one and buy one.... so I tickled a few folks about it, and sure enough I have a call back on my message service to call and maybe look and buy a sporterized one. When I posted on Facebook that I was thinking of looking into it I found suddenly three messages that they would like to help me find their rifle for my desires. Wow!
When it rains it pours. I might really have one soon, and will be sharing my joy with the world as I learn new skills with that rifle. Still the search has been interesting in the response to the question and what has been going on with other shooters and their lives.
I have also run into my reputation along the way - I have several of them - and they seem to depend on where I and the reporter of the reputation were when. So there are dark ones that no one talks about, and much brighter ones that I think have been polished by time and goodness greatness thoughts that I didn't recognize as mine. One truth about reputations is comparison and contrasts - the rep is always held up against some real person and situation somewhere, and the reporter/promoter has another chance to make me worthier... hmm, seems like the real me gets dimmer as the rep gets brighter. Like any great war story, if the stink, the slime and the sleaze were part of the story - we wouldn't tell them so often and so fondly. So with the reputation/representation of paratrooper Dungey. Doesn't survive first contact with reality/real me.
The crucible of life in the military changes all of us... It's not pretty many times, and it spits us out (assuming we survive). We cannot be that 'perfect' individual that everyone wants. WYSIWYG...
ReplyDelete'yeah, one of those things that the book I recommended has to offer is that look behind and into each of the characters and where they are - very well done, I thought.
ReplyDeleteBut in the end, I am happy enough to be Earl, and hope my parents are still proud.