Chance Encounters

I've mentioned before that I ride a commuter bus every morning.  I see the same people most days, but the bus is generally very quiet while everyone reads their Kindles, looks at newspapers or phones (or in my case crochets).

There is a young man who is there every day.  I've never spoken to him, and I have never heard him talk to anyone else.  I know his name (at least his last name) because it's printed on the hat he wears every day.  In fact, he wears the same clothes, hat, boots and carries the same backpack every day.  This would sound weird except his clothes are camouflage.  He is a member of the U.S. Army.

I believe he's a recruiter, but when he gets on that bus with his close cropped head, full fatigues, army boots and camouflage backpack, I can't help but feel a sense of pride.  He exudes dedication and dependability.  It's all right there in his uniform.  I have never spoken to this man, yet I admire him.

Funny thing about admiring soldiers.  Somehow people believe that to admire a soldier means you admire the current military policies and actions.  On the other hand, if you don't like the current military policies or actions, some people accuse you of failing to support the troops.  I don't want to debate whether recent military actions are good or not.  What I do want to say is that I admire that soldier on my bus.  Period.  Has nothing to do one way or another with whatever military action in which he may or may not participate.

I am offended at the suggestion that the litmus test for supporting military personnel is support of a military policy.  This soldier I see everyday has put his life in the hands of his country and its leaders.  It's not his job to make decisions about military policy or where he will live or what he will do.  He may be a recruiter this week, but next month he could be halfway across the world under fire.  All he knows for sure is that he has put his life in the hands of his country and has a job to do.  Does his position on the politics behind a particular military action have anything to do with his valor?  No.  In fact, I think a soldier who doesn't agree with the military decisions/policies yet does his job may show even more valor.  He made a commitment to do a job and he follows through.  That's honor.

Tomorrow I'm going to look right at him and tell him thank you.  Not "I thank you because I support the policies which might send you into battle," or "I don't like you because your job represents a war I don't like."  Just "thank you for your service."

I think that's all he wants to hear anyway.

cindy

And Then My Car Caught on Fire . . .

Did you ever have one of those weeks?  This has been one (or two) of them.  I can't believe how long it's been since I wrote my last entry.  The days have just flown by without much to say.  I'm working on three different craft/sewing/crochet projects, but have nothing to show and tell quite yet.  Although our Diamondbacks are out of the hunt, my childhood favorites the St. Louis Cardinals are in the World Series!  I have also become familiar with the bus to get to and from work.

And that brings me to my tagline.  Last Monday I left work and found my car with a dead battery in the parking garage.  A very nice Good Samaritan helped with jumper cables.  I KNOW they were correctly placed on my car (you know, positive to positive?).  I can't say whether they were correctly installed on his car or whether the positive cable on my car fell over on the negative cable as it slipped.  Anyway, next thing I know there's smoke, then fire on my battery.  At least the Good Samaritan was good at putting out the fire while I called the fire department.

That was Monday.  Now it's Friday and after several days of "the part is being overnighted and will be installed tomorrow" from the dealership, I'm going to pick up a loaner car because the new battery cables won't come in until Tuesday (or so they say).  It's been a pain, but I have discovered the bus, which is not so bad.

Sooo, it's been a lot of very little going on in the last couple of weeks and then my car caught on fire.

cindy