The Clock is Ticking

I know that the posting here has been pretty much feast or famine recently, but I've had quite a few things distracting me, from work issues to personal issues to crappy health. But one of the biggest distractions has been my fighting through the denial generated by the news that in two months time one of my best friends in the world will be leaving. And I don't mean "got a job in another city/state" leaving; I mean "will be shipping off to boot camp, OCS, and eventually, overseas to war" leaving.

Yes, that's right: Cap'n Shack-Fu has decided to add yet another level to his Rescue Action Hero status by going active duty in the U.S. Army.

Now, Shack has been contemplating this move for a while, but it's only within the last month that it has moved from slight possibility to definite course of action. I found out yesterday that he has officially set his review board date for March 19th; odds are good that he'll be shipped off to boot within a week of that, two weeks at the outside. I have a feeling that the next two months are going to fly by in an instant, especially with a group of Singles (including Shack-Fu and myself) heading off to Breckenridge, CO for a ski trip tomorrow* -- nothing makes time disappear like a vacation. So, in what will probably seem like a blink of an eye, my Best Friend and brother will be plucked from my everyday life and placed in harm's way halfway around the globe.

I am no, as one might guess, a happy camper at the prospect, nor are most of the other people in Shack-Fu's life. But, at the same time, I realize that this is what he feels called to do, and me trying to talk him out of fulfilling what he thinks of as his duty to God and country just because I'm going to miss hanging out with him is, if not the height of selfishness, then at least pretty far up there.

Now, I have voiced my concerns to him, not the least of which is that the kind, caring, compassionate soul that I've come to admire and respect so much over the past year and a half could be hardened and damaged beyond recognition by the horrors of war -- an extreme, worst-case scenario, to be sure, but since when I have I ever kept my fears and worries at a manageable, non-hyperbolic level? But at the same time, I assured him that, while I will miss him terribly and worry and pray about him constantly, in the end, I understand that he's doing what he believes is right, and I will support him in any way I can.

So, I have now powered through my denial and depression, and am now trying hard to focus on optimizing my remaining Shack-Fu time for maximum fun and HyperForce activity.



*So, yeah, don't be expecting any blogging until next Wednesday at the earliest, and odds are good I'll still be recuperating from all the fun and won't be up to doing anything productive until Thursday.