Ok, I guess these are valid questions.
Yes, I served in the US Army for 25 years, my “best friend” died way too early, and both my parents were gone. My parents died in my care and in peace. They lived long lives (wish it had been longer), but it was their time. They are at peace and resting now, so I'm OK with that. My “best friend” did it to himself and, in light of where he was headed physically and emotionally, I am not sure it would have been better for him to still be here. As for the countless deaths I have seen in the military, I guess I accepted a long time ago that this is the nature of things.
I have been to two funerals. In one, I was an honor guard. In the other, it was for my 3 year old stepson. The latter was a difficult thing to deal with, but God knows what he does and I stopped questioning Him a while ago.
I have had several root canals and have three fractured vertebrae. Yes, they were/are physically uncomfortable. As for the latter one, I have just learned to deal with the pain and can’t actually notice. On the other hand, I am not paralyzed. I also have tinnitus and a slight hearing loss. I also have 20/30 vision, so I need glasses to read (sometimes). On the other hand, I am neither blind nor deaf.
Here is the bottom line on all of this. My life experience, both as a soldier and as police officer, has provided me a world view where I have seen some unbelievably bad things happen to people. When I take all of that into consideration, mine has been almost a walk in the park. So, on the one hand, I want a new paid of shoes. On the other, I know a guy with no feet.
Now, I know that this will not always be the way it is. We all must face our tribulations and we all have them. There will come a time when my world will be rocked again and, at some point, my world (this fleshy one) will come to an end. None of us get to escape that, so best to not worry about the “little things” and just be as happy as we can.
We good?
rtm3039
