Get wet and thrive in the storm
My buddy Pat and I both experienced hard times before the military, but those hard times didn’t define us in the military or afterward. Our souls defined us!
The experiences that led us to the military helped us endure many things. We became more resilient in facing danger, being accountable to our brothers in uniform and remaining loyal to our oath to our country. What led us to military service helped us reach incredible goals after it was over.
[su_pullquote align=”right”]As I contemplate why we served, I’m left with a notion that’s uncommon to many: welcoming hard times.[/su_pullquote]
As I contemplate why we served, I’m left with a notion that’s uncommon to many: welcoming hard times. The legendary U.S. Recon Marine, Rudy Reyes, has shared deep thoughts about welcoming hardships. Rudy’s reflections made me think about Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai. There’s a part of this ancient manual that encourages the warrior not to avoid a rainstorm by running underneath building awnings to reach home.
This manual invites warriors to get wet and thrive in the storm. Pat, myself, my other childhood friends and Rudy have all gotten wet in the rain storms of life and have truly not avoided awnings to reach our goals in life via the military. We faced our callings with joy, fear, pain, faith and other movements of the soul.
Ultimately, the military was a domain in which I could find my future calling. My friends and I viewed the military as an initial rite of passage that exuded a calling. It was a calling to leave the comfort of the beach and go into the dark woods.
This idea doesn’t capture everything to do with why we served, and that’s OK. Pat has helped me look at life and appreciate my friends. We were more than a Band of Brothers. We were a Band of Callings. We carried out our callings differently, but we all arrived at the same ultimate destination: service.
We’ll share more as we carry our military duty into the twilight of our unfolding lives.
This article is part of a weekly column exploring spiritual transformation for veterans. To read the previous article in the series, visit VETERAN HEALING VIA ART: Reflections on Art as a path of wellness for veterans—an interview with artist Maria Amor»
[su_panel background=”#f2f2f2″ color=”#000000″ border=”0px none #ffffff” shadow=”0px 0px 0px #ffffff”]Mike Kim Veteran: Mike is a psychoanalyst, an Iraq War vet, an ex-friar monk, a war trauma care provider and a doctoral researcher at the Teachers College of Columbia University. Find him on his website (www.mikekimveteran.com), on Twitter, on Instagram and on Facebook at Warrior Wellness and Lifeworlds.
image 1 Pixabay 2 Pixabay 3 Pan Am Travel Brochures by Ed Bierman via Flickr (CC BY 2.0) 4 “The Awakening” Sculpture on Hains Point, Washington, D.C., February 2008 by Pingnews via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) 5 Pat Urquhart supplied by Pat 6 Pixabay
