Choices.
I spent Christmas in the middle of nowhere. About 350 miles southwest of Fairbanks, smack dab in the middle of a whole lot of nothing. It was -24F outside, and I was recovering from a bout of food poisoning (or something like that). I was separated from my family for a second consecutive Christmas. It's pretty much the darkest time of the year.
It would be easy to get depressed in such a situation, so it's fortunate that I'm emotionally stunted. Basically my range consists solely of anger and apathy, and given that I chose to be here (got to pay for bike parts somehow), my go-to (anger) just doesn't seem appropriate in this case. I chose this. I make a choice every time I drag myself out of bed early in the morning to get on the trainer. My justifications for the decision may be weak, but it's my choice.
A couple of my friends were riding in Laos with Rebecca Rusch, and I was reminded that choice is too often a luxury. In this case, unexploded ordinance dropped during the Vietnam Conflict by the US can cause an innocent person to be injured, maimed, orphaned, or killed. Life in that part of the world is hard enough without the ghosts of the past putting a hurt on you while you're out foraging for food or tending the family farm. The amount of ordinance we dropped was staggering, and our nation's desire to forget the more unsavory activities coupled with the racism of those in power has dragged this issue on for about forty five years. I think that's more than long enough.
Rebecca's organization, the Be Good Foundation, does a lot of positive stuff, but this one hit home for me. I donated a bit of my Air Force retirement to the cause (seemed poetic, since they were the ones that made the mess), and hopefully I helped make a small part of the world just a little less dangerous.
Watch this video and consider donating.
It's your choice.
It would be easy to get depressed in such a situation, so it's fortunate that I'm emotionally stunted. Basically my range consists solely of anger and apathy, and given that I chose to be here (got to pay for bike parts somehow), my go-to (anger) just doesn't seem appropriate in this case. I chose this. I make a choice every time I drag myself out of bed early in the morning to get on the trainer. My justifications for the decision may be weak, but it's my choice.
A couple of my friends were riding in Laos with Rebecca Rusch, and I was reminded that choice is too often a luxury. In this case, unexploded ordinance dropped during the Vietnam Conflict by the US can cause an innocent person to be injured, maimed, orphaned, or killed. Life in that part of the world is hard enough without the ghosts of the past putting a hurt on you while you're out foraging for food or tending the family farm. The amount of ordinance we dropped was staggering, and our nation's desire to forget the more unsavory activities coupled with the racism of those in power has dragged this issue on for about forty five years. I think that's more than long enough.
Rebecca's organization, the Be Good Foundation, does a lot of positive stuff, but this one hit home for me. I donated a bit of my Air Force retirement to the cause (seemed poetic, since they were the ones that made the mess), and hopefully I helped make a small part of the world just a little less dangerous.
Watch this video and consider donating.
It's your choice.
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