hppants
Well-known member
Prologue: Gary “G-squared” and I had a great ride together this morning on our 2014 FJRs. Fittingly, on this last Monday in May, it was quite “memorable”. I hope you enjoy this ride report.
I wonder if they know how much I appreciate what they did for me? It’s hard for me to imagine the courage it takes to really risk your own life for anything. To stand fearlessly on the business end of weapons and lay it all on the line for something bigger than yourself is indescribable to me. I don’t know many of them. I guess I was lucky to be born at the right time. Nearly everyone I know chose a civilian life. We went to college, got jobs, got married, had kids, and lived our selfish lives completely oblivious to what they did for us. And what they continue to do.
Every adult has a set of “I remember what I was doing when _________ happened” days. Maybe it was the assassination of JFK. D-Day. Cal Ripkin breaking Lou Gehrig’s Iron Man record. Princess Diana’s wedding. Hurricane Katrina. Our brains trigger these days because the events that make them cause us to change the way we are.
The day those planes flew into the skyscrapers, I changed forever. Until that day, I took my selfish life for granted. I neglected to really understand the history that came before me. I ignored my elders, dismissing them as ignorant and stagnant. I mentally blocked out most of the bad parts of our world. After all, those things happen elsewhere, not here.
Well – those things can happen here, there, and everywhere. We sleep comfortably at night because brave men and women make sacrifices for us every day. They do it because they want us to have choices and opportunity. They want us to decide what is best for us. They want us to be able to say what we need to say. They do it because they believe in us.
I can never EVER repay them or their loved ones for what they did. My debt is far too great to calculate. The only thing I can do is live my life in peace and happiness. I can share and help others. I can lead by example and teach my kids to do that same. I can reflect and think. I can not take things for granted. I can be tolerant and embrace the diversity that we are. I can be grateful and not wasteful.
Today, this is what they did for me….
Today, I will try not to live my life in a box.
I will take time to see color.
I will not let the unknown future dissuade me from enjoying today.
I will live my life peacefully and contently.
And I will rejoice and be happy when others do the same.
I will be respectful and mindful of things that are bigger than myself.
I will not take things for granted.
I will be resourceful and find ways to bridge my difficulties.
I will find strength in friends….
….and share their enjoyment with mine.
Today, I will take the high road whenever possible.
And I will recharge and refuel as often as I can.
Today and everyday, I will live in freedom. I will try to act in a manner that is worthy of what you did for me.
Stay thirsty, my friends.
I wonder if they know how much I appreciate what they did for me? It’s hard for me to imagine the courage it takes to really risk your own life for anything. To stand fearlessly on the business end of weapons and lay it all on the line for something bigger than yourself is indescribable to me. I don’t know many of them. I guess I was lucky to be born at the right time. Nearly everyone I know chose a civilian life. We went to college, got jobs, got married, had kids, and lived our selfish lives completely oblivious to what they did for us. And what they continue to do.
Every adult has a set of “I remember what I was doing when _________ happened” days. Maybe it was the assassination of JFK. D-Day. Cal Ripkin breaking Lou Gehrig’s Iron Man record. Princess Diana’s wedding. Hurricane Katrina. Our brains trigger these days because the events that make them cause us to change the way we are.
The day those planes flew into the skyscrapers, I changed forever. Until that day, I took my selfish life for granted. I neglected to really understand the history that came before me. I ignored my elders, dismissing them as ignorant and stagnant. I mentally blocked out most of the bad parts of our world. After all, those things happen elsewhere, not here.
Well – those things can happen here, there, and everywhere. We sleep comfortably at night because brave men and women make sacrifices for us every day. They do it because they want us to have choices and opportunity. They want us to decide what is best for us. They want us to be able to say what we need to say. They do it because they believe in us.
I can never EVER repay them or their loved ones for what they did. My debt is far too great to calculate. The only thing I can do is live my life in peace and happiness. I can share and help others. I can lead by example and teach my kids to do that same. I can reflect and think. I can not take things for granted. I can be tolerant and embrace the diversity that we are. I can be grateful and not wasteful.
Today, this is what they did for me….
Today, I will try not to live my life in a box.
I will take time to see color.
I will not let the unknown future dissuade me from enjoying today.
I will live my life peacefully and contently.
And I will rejoice and be happy when others do the same.
I will be respectful and mindful of things that are bigger than myself.
I will not take things for granted.
I will be resourceful and find ways to bridge my difficulties.
I will find strength in friends….
….and share their enjoyment with mine.
Today, I will take the high road whenever possible.
And I will recharge and refuel as often as I can.
Today and everyday, I will live in freedom. I will try to act in a manner that is worthy of what you did for me.
Stay thirsty, my friends.
