Aren't you scared?

That question was posed to me by my daughter a couple days ago. She told me that they had posted the ISIS "hit list" (I have no idea about the validity of said list) and said Seattle was on it. It makes sense. This area has military bases, ports, vulnerable travel routes, areas where large groups of people gather. I'd understand if we were really on some terrorist hit list.

She asked if we were far enough away from Seattle to avoid any damage from bombs. I said, "I don't know. If it's nuclear, maybe not."

"Aren't you scared?"

I didn't even really need to think about this. I told her, "I can't be."

"WHY!"

I told her I was not willing to live a life in fear. There are things that we cannot control and what is the point of worrying about them. If they're going to happen, they're going to happen. I also told her much of the time, media plays on our fears and make things sound worse than they are in order to get ratings. Politicians use our fears to get votes. I don't ignore that things are frightening right now, but I will not let my fears run my life.

I think she got it. Living in fear would only make me, us, the world, batshit crazy. If ISIS comes and bombs Seattle tomorrow, I can't stop it, I can't control it, I will just need to handle it if I make it through.

I will not let the media, politicians or terrorists play on my fears.  Only spiders can do that.

F³A: Freedom isn't free

I think sometimes it's easy to forget that.   Freedom isn't free. I'm not a proponent of war, but I also am not naive to the fact that certain battles have allowed us certain freedoms.  A necessary evil, if you will.

And the people that fight those battles, whether they're behind the scenes or in the trenches have all sacrificed for us.  They've sacrificed their families, their bodies, some of them their souls, their lives. 

No matter if I agree with the fight at hand or not, I always feel for,  appreciate and respect those out there serving, taking risks to protect the freedoms we've become so accustomed to having.  not only them, but their spouses, their children, their parents, because they've sacrificed too.

I've seen firsthand a soldier's battle scars, both physical and emotional.  I would never for an instant step into their shoes, to do what they've done, to see what they've seen.

It takes a certain type of person to do battle for others.  It takes valor, selflessness, and conviction to put yourself out there, to risk your life for even the tiniest shred of freedom.

Thank a veteran today.

Let's choose today's scribbles in honor of veterans Day.

Song of the week: Man, it took me like an hour to find the right song.  I like this one. Dear Avery by the Decemberists.  Colin Meloy, the singer told spin magazine that this track is about the Iraq War and how parents are affected when their children are shipped off to battle. "I imagine it being a letter sent from a mother to a solider," he said. "I was reading a lot about soldiers and the war and their parents back home — having a kid myself, it just made me really mindful of that relationship."

Netflix of the week: Again, a hard pick, but Saving Private Ryan kind of encapsulates not only what soldiers have to do, but the grief of those they leave behind.

book of the Week: I'm going to pick A Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen.  Had a debate about this book awhile back. A sad but very real story about war and what it can do to the mind and soul.

Quotes of the Week:
"Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul." -Michel de Montaigne

 "We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." -Cynthia Ozick

To all who have served, thank you.