Veterans Day Memories

My dad flew WWII and Korea, so I was proud to sign up for ROTC at LSU.  I remember carrying the guidon my first year of ROTC.  I remember how my training as a Bengal Raider prepared me for Ranger School.  I remember my basic training at Fort Sill, and the two friends in my squad at Fort Sill that would later die in Vietnam.  I remember the day I graduated from college, had a birthday, and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant.  I remember my first parachute jump, and the first time I jumped a jet.  I remember my first ride in a Huey, and my first ride in a Chinook.  I remember shooting the M1, M16, M60, 45 pistol, and the M67 recoilless rifle.  I remember going to work every day with a flak vest and helmet, carrying my M16 / 420 rounds, 45 pistol / 21 rounds, and my combat knife. 

I have life long memories of riding in medivacs where there was too much blood and pain.  I have life long memories of holding the first soldier to die in my arms.  I have life long memories of firing my M16 at someone that was shooting at me.  I remember being promoted to 1st Lieutenant and Captain, and then Tenneco forcing me to resign my Reserve Commission in exchange for their willingness to pay for a Ph.D.  I could never pay back what the GI Bill gave me by making graduate school possible.  I could never pay back what my 4 years active duty, and 10 years Army Reserves gave me in confidence, self-esteem, resilience, belief in team, and my ability to thrive in the best and worst of times.  I am a proud very grateful Vet.  Wish a Vet, “Happy Veterans Day today!”

  

Joy of Being

There is only now.  We breathe, we think, we walk, we talk, we play, we work, we meditate, we pray, but along the way we have to constantly remind ourselves that life unfolds in the present.  It’s so easy to get absorbed in the hope and fears of the future or ruminate about the past, as our minds like a movie mix scenes from the past, present, and future.  This way of life becomes addicting as our thoughts begin to control us, and we let the joy of present moments slip away.  Yesterday, as I sat in a waiting room, I watched an elderly couple, she had a freshly picked flower in her hands, and his tired eyes held a joyful twinkle as he watched her fascination with the flower.  I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and rested in the stillness of just being.  Get caught up in just being today.    

Afterimage

It was close to dusk as I was riding home after a long day filled with intense emotions surrounding changes at work.  The street was very busy, and the sidewalk ahead was filled with people trying to cross the intersection to catch the oncoming METRORail.  Traffic was moving very slow when out the corner of my eyes I saw him.  He was older, had a beard, but was still wearing his worn out Army fatigues.  His eyes followed mine and he raised his hand and he gave me a worn out smile – and then he was gone.  He hadn’t limped into my life for years, but when he did I knew he was an afterimage burned into my soul in a past life, a reminder to believe in the goodness of life, as he had.  We all have family, friends, and afterimages in our lives that help us look beyond the broken moments, and realize not all life is broken – we just have to believe!  I wiped the tears, as I waited for the Light Rail to pass, feeling the goodness of life return through the blessing of an afterimage.  Be an afterimage of goodness for someone today.  

Mark Rothko – Pockets of Silence

It was an evening where time seem to stop, as I became lost in deep emotions and feelings as we journeyed through the world of Mark Rothko paintings at The Museum of Fine Arts.  This journey might have been very different, but I’d arrived at its door after several weeks of doing my best to cope with a high-stress environment at work.  It wasn’t the first time where work/life stress had begun to take its toll on my well-being, and I’m sure it will not be my last.  But last night as I was pulled into Rothko’s work and mesmerized by the depth of the experience, I realized after six decades of living, I was better at letting go.  Rothko’s final public statement before his suicide included words that speak about our search for the pockets of silence where we can root and grow.  My heart-led mindful meditation and prayer practices have blessed me with pockets of silence, and I like Rothko have found, “Silence is so accurate”.  What life practices bring you pockets of silence?

Bruce Cryer and Playfulness

MD Anderson is deploying Epic to replace an in-house customized electronic health record we have used for years, and I am the “elbow connection” of wellness leading a program designed to strengthen the resilience of the implementation team.  An integrated team from Employee Health, Employee Assistance Program, and Wellness designed quick, fun, daily events and activities targeted to build and sustain resilience.   Each day we offer either a morning energizer or afternoon activator 12-minutes of movement activities.  Tuesday and Thursday we provide 12-minute interactive classes focused on resilience, and Wednesday is wellness fun day offering activities designed to get employees out of their heads and into their hearts. 

Years ago I met Bruce Cryer of HeartMath when he spoke at the National Wellness Worksite Academy.  His words around resilience were powerful, but what I remember most was his face as he talked about playfulness.  Playfulness inspires the willingness to wonder, it brings flexibility, and the ability to better flow with life, which strengthen our resilience.  Yesterday, during water/coffee, bathroom, and lunch breaks employees played with 1,500 dominoes, building domino chains.  What playful activities do you have planned today to get out of your head and into your heart?

Bruce Cryer and Playfulness

MD Anderson is deploying Epic to replace an in-house customized electronic health record we have used for years, and I am the “elbow connection” of wellness leading a program designed to strengthen the resilience of the implementation team.  An integrated team from Employee Health, Employee Assistance Program, and Wellness designed quick, fun, daily events and activities targeted to build and sustain resilience.   Each day we offer either a morning energizer or afternoon activator 12-minutes of movement activities.  Tuesday and Thursday we provide 12-minute interactive classes focused on resilience, and Wednesday is wellness fun day offering activities designed to get employees out of their heads and into their hearts. 

Years ago I met Bruce Cryer of HeartMath when he spoke at the National Wellness Worksite Academy.  His words around resilience were powerful, but what I remember most was his face as he talked about playfulness.  Playfulness inspires the willingness to wonder, it brings flexibility, and the ability to better flow with life, which strengthen our resilience.  Yesterday, during water/coffee, bathroom, and lunch breaks employees played with 1,500 dominoes, building domino chains.  What playful activities do you have planned today to get out of your head and into your heart?

New Beginnings

Third grade was tough and by the end of the year I still was having trouble talking, holding my pencil correctly, writing & spelling, and just fitting in.  That summer my mom took me to the LSU Speech Lab where they made a recording of me talking.  As I listening to the recording, I was shocked at my baby voice and remember when we got home my mom wrapped her arms around me as we sat in her rocking chair.  Finally, after most of my tears had stopped she softly told me to never be afraid of “new beginnings”, and I would repeat third grade the next school year. 

My mother released me from the fear of new beginning when I was 8, a gift I wouldn’t really understand or appreciate until as a young adult I was challenged with some really tough new beginnings.  The evening cancer took my mom after most my tears had stopped, sitting under my favorite tree by the LSU lakes, I heard her voice softly whisper never to be afraid of new beginning.  She’d taught me to be positive, open to new experiences and relationships, to seek support, be realistic, and to be tenacious.  She’d given me the freedom to fail, stand up, brush myself off, and try again.  What’s your “new beginning” attitude?