Autumn Lament.
It’s been many years
Since I’ve felt the autumn wind.
But still, it happens.
So, I’ve discovered I really enjoy writing haiku. I think I’m going to pursue it further and learn all the rules and appropiate forms to write proper haiku. It relaxes me and puts my mind at ease, short though they are.
Some speculative news: my parent command back in San Diego wants to know if my presence is still needed out here on the Reagan, and I suspect they might want me to come home early. I imagine it’s because they’re having a rough time and need the assistance. However, if it were my choice, I’d rather stay out here, and let me tell you why. If I returned early, I would have no reason not to go on deployment again in January, whereas if I were to remain here until the end of this deployment, I probably would not have to go in January because we’re are supposed to receive a certain amount of time back home before being deployed again. Also, we’re receiving tax exempt pay, and it would be a shame to lose out on that money. But, it is speculative at the moment, so I’ll have to wait and see what happens.
Right now things are steady, consistent. I’ve been working out a lot (with pleasing aesthetic results, consequently), studying, learning, and becoming more and more introspective. I’ve learned so much about myself on this deployment, grown in many different ways, and see the world in many different ways than before I left, that I’m really grateful that I was able to go. Although there were some losses for me which were hard, the growth that it stimulated has turned me into a much better, and more observant person. I’ve been told that deployment changes everyone, one way or another. At first, I was apprehensive about this, because I wasn’t sure how I would change. Would it be for the better? For the worse? I can safely say that it’s been for the better, thus far. And I’m confident that when all this is through, I’ll have a much more solid base from which to build myself off of.
I still have many paths ahead of me. Some have closed, others have opened, and I see some now that I hadn’t seen before. The possibilities are endless, and I only need to take a moment to think about which path it is that I should take.
One thing is for certain: they all lead toward a new adventure.
.//chris