New Year's Resolutions

Another new year is upon us, and with it comes the age-old tradition of making resolutions and sweating on a stack of bibles this will be the year of change! And along with those annual bursts of epiphanies come the other age-old tradition . . . breaking the goals we set for ourselves in that moment of enlightenment.

Often New Year’s resolutions are mentioned in the same breath as the words “stupid,” “waste of time,” and “BS.” Not to mention discussions of resolutions also carry comment tails of “I make ‘em, I break ‘em, so why do ‘em;” “they are too hard;” and “I am too involved in life to keep at them.”

Well, yeah. Look at how the average person goes about making their resolutions: “I want to be rich,” “I want to lose weight,” or “I want to spend more time with family.” When you look at them in those terms why not those in “Bring about world peace” and “save the whales?” How different are those to achieve than say, “I want to lose weight?” It sounds crazy, but these are not realistic without some sort of focus. What we too often do is provide ourselves a vision to aspire to and not a realistic goal we could ever hope to achieve. And the only one who achieves anything is the local fitness center around this time of year.

Why do resolutions? Hey, it’s tradition! But more importantly, this annual exercise of self-reflection provides a spark of hope, and this is not a bad thing. It’s this spark that helps set direction for the future and motivates many of us to wake up in the morning. So, why not fuel this spark into a fire of comfort and direction for our lives?

Here’s the first New Year’s resolution: Make your resolution realistic and obtainable. To do this doesn’t mean a laundry list of low hanging fruit, such as go to work, feed the dog & kids, etc. Lets take a look at our ambiguous list we noted above and pick “Save the whales.” We now make this a goal for 2010. Next we set objectives that will feed into our goal. Remember the “baby steps” from the movie “What about Bob?” For the purposes of this exercise lets list our objectives as: 1) Contribute $20 each month to a ‘Save the Whales’ foundation, 2) Take the family to Monterey Bay each fall for the running of the whales, and 3) Write one of your congressional representatives once every three months to support ‘Save the Whales’ legislation. Are these realistic and obtainable, or maybe with a few adjustments can they be doable within the constraints of your lifestyle or situation?

As you can see, resolutions can be doable if YOU allow it to happen. This maybe a silly tradition, but it also offers hope. So, don’t extinguish the spark – carry on the tradition.

So, what does my resolutions for 2010 look like? Actually, I only have one – To save the world, one starfish at a time.

Rush Hour in the Comstock

When you trek the outback of Nevada you never know what you'll run into, or come running across you. When Stephen King wrote "Desperation" readers were aghast, but folks out here just sorta shrugged their shoulders . . . and wondered if any of their neighbors were included in the cast of characters.

And it ain't just the aliens that fly low and slow through our neighborhood. Seems everyone marks us off for their final approach, and we don't seem to much care.

Veteran's Day 2009

Today we honor veterans in uniform and those who have gone before us to answer the bugle’s call. As well, this is a day when we pause to reflect and honor the memory of the fallen warriors – who paid the ultimate sacrifice. There is an inscription on one of the memorials at Arlington National Cemetery that is one of the greatest tributes I have found to these special men and women who cannot join but in spirit:

Not for fame or reward, not for place or rank, not lured by ambition or goaded by necessity, but in simple obedience to duty, as they understood it, these men suffered all, sacrificed all, dared all and died.

Today, thousands of young people answer the bugle’s call from every state and every territory of this great nation. They come from all walks of life. They represent our best and our brightest. They are patriotic to the core; they all recognize the special mission their country has entrusted to them. Today’s Army, in the midst of transformation, is changing the way it does business to become a more flexible, powerful, and responsive organization. But one thing never needing to transform, is the indomitable spirit of the American Soldier. Our Soldiers personify the values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. They also are fully aware of the special risks they have been asked to take, just like every other generation of Americans. But without a doubt, they are the best educated, best equipped, and best trained Soldiers this nation has ever produced.

In recent weeks much of the world begs to defer with me. Events have taken place that brings to question the true faith and allegiance of its military to the minds of the American people. Well, I am here to tell you, if you believe that you are wrong. The activity at Abu Ghraib was of a group that should be held fully accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Furthermore, those individuals are not indicative of the fine men and women that fill the ranks of our armed forces. Our men and women are doing you proud every minute of every hour of every day that they stand in harm’s way. Fine Soldiers like SPC Brian Robinson, from Henderson, NV, who was literally blown out of a two and a half ton truck that ran over a mine in Northwest Baghdad. His main concern during the medical evacuation was the fear of letting down his teammates because he wasn’t going to be there to help them anymore. Or like SGT Henry Lujan, from Las Vegas, NV, who, after driving over an explosive device, drove his burning vehicle to lead the rest of the convoy to safety. Only after assurances that all convoy members were safe did he allow himself medical treatment.

Just as the World War II memorial testifies to the spirit and sacrifice of the Greatest Generation, each day of the Global War on Terrorism is a testament to the selfless service of today’s fighting forces. Today’s generation of veterans honors the legacy of those who fought and sacrificed for our nation by following their example of personal courage. They place the mission first, they never accept defeat, they never quit, and they will never leave a fallen comrade. This warrior spirit carries them onward, continually strengthening their resolve to fight those who threaten our freedom. Just as World War II Soldiers faced a long, hard road to victory over tyranny, today’s Soldiers are just as determined to defeat terrorism.

The men and women of the armed forces are not macho men and super women – they are the teen who delivered the morning newspaper, baby sat the kids, bagged the groceries, provided the smile with the coffee. Just ordinary men and women who hold their heads a little higher. They are citizens who attend UNR and UNLV; they are housewives and casino workers; they are members of Reno Police Department, Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, and troopers for the Nevada Highway Patrol. They live in Carson City, Reno, Sparks, Elko, Ely, and Las Vegas. But, within the blink of an eye, the bugle sounded and they responded. On hold went families and lives, dreams and ambitions. They are just ordinary people with life experiences that will never allow them to be the same again.

I would like to close with a short eulogy for a Memorial service conducted too years ago this month in a desolate stretch of desert 15,000 miles from here:

Cry to me,

My mother’s son;

Tell me how it is;

Tell me of trumpet sounds,

And battles won,

And legends come and gone.

If the winds sweep east,

And the bugle sounds,

Will these dreams come true?

Or will blood flow free,

And tears run dry,

Upon Armageddon’s darkened ground.

So, my father’s boy,

Is the manhood really there?

Or is it dreams and want-to-be’s,

On which men have bet their lives.

For you have taken the road less traveled,

And answered the bugle’s call.

Setting up for the Day

Am setting up for retirement. There's only 7 months, 17 days, 3 hours and 45 minutes left until the BIG DAY! Of course there's still lots to do until the clock strikes the witching hour, but am working to set things up for the cross-over to the rest of my life. Part of today has been spent - besides recovering from the latest series of TDY - researching a literary agent and new markets for my manuscripts. Not only has this brought with it a tingling of motivation, but also a sense of relaxation knowing the light at the end of the tunnel is burning just a little brighter.

Summer gives way to Fall in the Comstock

Yes, fall is in the air as the leaves turn colors, the motorcycles clog the highways and byways for one last ride before it's time to put the two-wheeler away in the garage. At least that's the way things looked in the Comstock this weekend with Street Vibrations in Reno and temps holding steady in the mid-90s. Unfortunately, some of us did work this weekend and grumbled away the hours as we watched the vast majority enjoy the end of summer. But hey, my spirits soar with only seven months, five days and four hours to go before the old uniform gets hung up for the last time. Ahh, so maybe the weekend wasn't so bad after all.

A New Day is Dawning

A new day is dawning as I begin transitioning from government service to the world beyond. So far on my list of "Things To Do" I have set aside a day for retirement and then whatever the hell I want to do. But foremost on the list is Drum Corps (yes, Yamato I am coming back with guns ablazing) and writing. In the days to come you can follow my Drum Corps inroads via my Twitter account and the writing efforts will be documented on the Facebook account. This blog, my friends, will find itself the sounding board for whatever hits my fancy or to serve as an iSoapbox. Bottom line, the next big adventure is about doing what I want - as long as my wife, Rita approves (lol). So, welcome onboard, buckle the seatbelt, and lets see what kind of trouble we can stir up.

;-)