Celebrate Life

I have (clearly) fallen behind in my blogging. This hasn't been from a lack of thinking, but rather a simple lack of posting. It's been hard to decide what to post. My musings have taken me through topics I've already written on as well as ones that I don't feel ready to comment on. It's hard to decide between re-runs and unfinished episodes.

This weekend is Memorial Day and there is plenty of musing that can be done on that. The three day weekend is a wonderful break from the routine, but it's important to remember why we have it. I've been seeing things on Facebook using pictures of family of soldiers who have died and somber messages. That is the sober origins of the holiday and it should be remembered. My family has a grave site to visit this year that was dug last year. I still treasure the 30.06 shell casing sitting in a small wooden jar on my dresser - a casing from my grandfather's twenty-one gun salute. It is right to miss those that have defended freedom and that those that we have lost from this life.

It is also important to celebrate life. When my wife found out she was expecting our third child we knew there was a high risk of miscarriage. We weren't sure if we should tell anyone in the event that she did miscarry. We ultimately decided that we were going to tell people and "celebrate life for as long as we have it." She finished her 26 week today and the baby is getting stronger. There are still possible complications and we have no idea what is going to happen, but we are still celebrating life.

Memorial Day is both to mourn those we have lost and to celebrate the life that they had. Even though that life has ended it can still be celebrated.

War Games

I enjoy many different hobbies including video games consisting of strategy and first-person shooter games as well as recently getting into airsoft. I own an airsoft rifle and pistol as well as pieces of "tactical gear" that consist camouflage, and things to hold extra magazine, tools, bbs, etc. Because airsoft equipment is based on "real steel" military hardware outfitted airsofters can look a bit like a state militia. The guns are often replicas of M4s, M16, AK-47s, and other armaments still used by defense forces the world over. (photo credit: Danger Close Airsoft - a good group to run with.)

I know that with gun violence and violent crimes in general more prevalent in the news there has been a lot of discussion about connections between my above stated hobbies and those crimes. I'm not going to get into that debate. I will link to this video discussing the video games. I will also say that airsoft is not to be treated like a toy and those that choose to participate should not be idiots about their equipment. Going around in a public place with a replica M16 will cause problems for you and others. Airsoft can cause injury, even sever injury, treat the equipment accordingly. I play with goggles and a steel face mask.

What I wanted to get into revolves around a conversation I had with a coworker a couple of days before attending an airsoft game. She asked what airsoft was. I explained it involved running around in the brush, shooting and being shoot at with 6mm bbs. She asked why I would ever want to do such a thing. Fair question.

For me these hobbies have nothing to do the violent nature of their real world situations. I looked into joining the military back in high school and decided that the glory of the battlefield was not for me. I would like to think that I could protect my family at any cost, but I have no desire to willingly ending anybody's earthly existence. I would be perfectly content if we beat our swords into plows and our spears into pruning hooks and didn't learn war anymore. For me it's all a mind game, one that I'm not nearly as good at as I would like to think. How do you achieve an objective, figure out this puzzle, overcome this obstacle? It's about becoming good at out-thinking someone else. It's about teamwork and collaborative effort. Airsoft has the added benefit of being outdoors and interactive - it keeps you moving and even added to my incentive to exercise. My airsoft experience has been pretty positive, even though I have only hit one person while playing. However, the incentive to play has increased with additional members of my family getting involved.

Upon hearing my reasons my coworker simply replied, "We go jogging."

You can do that too.