When Cameron Albin was in the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the fall of 2012, the former Marine Corps infantry officer admits that he “was not a very good human being.”
There were the struggles with recovery from a traumatic brain injury and PTSD which led to a medical discharge from the Marines a year earlier after a long stay at Walter Reed.
I sat on my back porch with my toes in the sun. I was tired, maybe feeling some stress. My kids had given me grief all day long. The dishes were undone. The house a bit of a mess. I had a to-do list a mile long for my clients and a board meeting to prepare for that evening.
Even with all that sitting prominently on my plate, I sat on the back porch and put my toes in the sun.
Sometimes things come together just at the right time. Call it good fortune. Call it serendipity. Perhaps it’s best described as good things coming to good people.
Just ask the Taft family about it. They will tell you that the Hope For The Warriors New Balance Military Youth Athletic Scholarship arrived at exactly the right time to help their teenage daughter Clara keep her softball dreams alive and reignite her passion for the sport and for life.
Judy got the dreaded knock with uniformed soldiers at her door. That’s when she got inspired by creativity. When life gets tough, it can help you out of it.
Resilience. We’ve all heard this word. Each military branch offers resiliency training, there are courses to build resilience, and it is a popular topic as we try to navigate the numerous stressful events and experiences that dot each of our lives.
This month, retired Marine Corps Maj. Lisa Davis shares her journey. I must confess that I am jealous of Lisa because, of all the accomplishments she has achieved during her running career, one is close to home—The JFK 50 Mile Run. Her milestone in this event came at the end of the 2019 race which was her 10th completion. On Nov. 20, 2020, Lisa was inducted into the JFK 500 Mile Club to recognize her performance. I have attempted the event 11 times and managed to complete only seven.
I am still inspired.
Growing up in a military family as a daughter, and then marrying a military man, has given me great insight and understanding of the word change. I learned that a PCS is a physical move, and with a PCS comes a change on many levels—a change of duty station, a change of climate, a change of housing, a change of friends, a change in a marriage relationship, a change of schools for children, and the huge life-change that comes with deployment of a spouse. Other major life changes we may face include retirement, downsizing, divorce, death of a loved one, health issues, or a broken relationship.
For many women, change is expected, anticipated, and planned. For others, change is unexpected, challenging, and an emotional struggle. Change is a small word with a big impact. Sometimes we are blindsided by what’s coming, other times we hit it head on. We either react or respond. Here are some common reactions to change.
I come from a large family that insists on a rowdy bi-annual family reunion. One year, my brother decided to hold the reunion at his gorgeous new home. Theoretically, it sounded perfect. There was a large yard, swimming pool, outdoor kitchen, and we were meeting during a mild weather month so tent camping on the lawn. And when the day came, forty men, women, and children arrived all at once, with suitcases and cars and tents and toys.
Forty people. One home. An entire week.
Right around day 3, I opened the pantry closet and found my sister-in-law hiding inside. Desperate for a minute of peace, she’d simply stepped inside a dark food pantry and stayed there for a still undisclosed amount of time.
have been loving the different “this-or-that” posts that have been roving around social media. You know the ones I’m referring to, right?
Do you like coffee or tea?
Mountains or beach?
Sweaters and boots, or flip flops and shorts?
As a social media manager, I use this-or-that posts to remind clients about options. And it works. People love to give you their preferences and tell you exactly what they want.
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