The kind you see looking back at you from a lake or a pond. The kind that though you see yourself on the surface, the reflection actually runs much deeper. Drop a pebble onto the reflection and the image distorts as it ripples for miles across the lake but when it settles, the eyes are staring back unaffected, wordlessly stating that they have a story to tell.
I awoke this morning another year older. I didn’t notice anything different except for maybe a couple of extra gray hairs but I keep it short enough that it isn’t noticeable. Last night, after the kids were in bed, Mrs. Hook and I sat on the Lanai enjoying a glass of wine and listening to the geckos chatter. I couldn’t help but reflect on the past 39-years and the many experiences that have shaped who I am. I came up with two categories for these monumental experiences. The first group covers those moments that were significant in that they enhanced my character- the seasonings sprinkled on the feast of life if you will. The second category encompasses those rare events that were life-defining events. A couple of examples…
Seasoning- flying countless hours fighting a fire from the air over a small town in the mountains of northern Italy (see upcoming post)
Defining- falling in love and marrying the lovely and talented and downright sexy Mrs. Hook
Seasoning- earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in history through many late nights of studying after duty hours (and sometimes during duty hours)
Defining- taking an oath to defend the Constitution of the United Sates of America from all enemies foreign and domestic so help me God
Seasoning- kissed on each cheek by a teary-eyed 74-year-old Italian man as he said farewell to me after five years of being his tenant (and I thought he hated me) with promises of a place to dwell in the future
Defining- cutting the umbilical cord with teary eyes at the birth of Castaway Conner and seeing mother and son meet for the first time face to face (or face to breast as the case may be)
Seasoning- walking up to the snow covered New Schweinstein Castle in Austria (the one Disney copied) on New Year’s Day in the freezing cold keeping warm by sipping gluvine (a warmed spiced wine)
Seasoning- walking away from a CH47D helicopter that crashed into the side of a mountain in the Republic of Korea with all 15 other passengers as we let out a collective “whew”
Seasoning- rappelling 90 feet to the ground from a hovering UH60 helicopter
Defining- meeting my mother and father for the first time face to face oh so many years ago and raised by these terrific parents (thanks Mom and Dad)
Seasoning- sitting on the beach trying to catch a glimpse of the mysterious “green flash” as the sun set on the horizon
Seasoning- flying across the English Channel approaching the greenest place I’ve ever seen
Well, I think you get the point. The reflection is indeed deep and I can’t wait until next year so I can again look back and reminisce about all the fond experiences that I’ve had. I can’t help but wonder if Saddam is still alive somewhere reflecting on his past 66 years today as well- or maybe just the past 6 weeks. Sgt Hook out.
Posted by Hook @ 0500 zulu | | Permalink
This post is filed under: Reconstructed
