“Because here's another sneaky little truth about life. You can't be an important and life-changing presence for some people without also being a joke and an embarrassment to others. You just can’t.”
-Mark Manson
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Hey friends,
My time in the army taught me a lot. How to carry a rucksack is at the top of that list. Big bag, pack it full of bullets, beans, bandaids and walk. We cross-loaded our kit to have what we needed if someone went down, got lost, or got blown up. Lots of weight. One foot in front of another. Keep going, don’t quit. The mission is what matters.
One night, I found myself on a hilltop with some friends. Our mission was to mark a drop zone so an aircraft could push out much-needed supplies. The woods were thick. Impassable. In frustration, the medic on our team took off his rucksack and started throwing it into the woods. Not a good idea for noise discipline, but he did it anyway. Eventually, this rucksack-flinging bear of a man broke enough trail to allow us to mark the DZ. The aircraft pushed its load, and we moved on.
My rucksack is more metaphorical now. I still pack it full of stuff and try not to quit. One foot in front of another. It’s filled with responsibilities, stories, and dreams. I’m lucky to walk with friends who will take things from me when I need help. On my best days, I know when to ask for help carrying my load. When I’m at my very best, I know when to put the rucksack down and take out all the BS I don’t need to carry anymore.
What’s in your rucksack matters. Consider what you keep, cultivate, add, and throw out.
Take care,
Keep Going:
The Happiness Hazard
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