Keeping an Open Mind...

The difference between an opportunity and an obstacle is your attitude.

So I started this week with a REALLY bad attitude... My husband informed me (last minute) that I had to attend our Family Readiness Group (FRG) planning process.  Since my husband is acting commander of the 329th EN Det it was important that I go.  I will be the first to admit that I was NOT excited about this, because this entailed me driving almost two hours to attend a meeting.  The last FRG I was a part of, was a huge mess from beginning to end.  I think most of it had to do with the fact that it was during deployment, so tensions were running high. But I also think that we had a very poor way of getting and communicating information, so people became frustrated and lashed out in anger. So when 1300 rolled around for the meeting, I was less than excited.

I went down the hall as slowly as I could, thinking that maybe something would happen in between the time that I left his office and I reached the conference room.  Yeah nothing happened, but I was sure wishing it would. Perhaps wild horses would drag me away or an emergency would cause me to not be able to attend the meeting.  Hey, I was hoping ok?

I entered the room and introductions were going on.  When it came to me, I had NO CLUE what unit my husband is with.  Now let me explain: since we have been together, he has switched units almost yearly.  357th Trans, 88th HHC, 372nd EN BDE, 644th Trans, and now the (as I found when I went back to office to read the nameplate) 329th EN Det.  Yeah, I have a great memory, but with all the switching, changes in MOS, and rank, I was confused.  Thankfully the family support guest that day, remembered me from the 372nd and helped me out... I was like a fish out of water and if you know me, I rarely am speechless.

 I should explain.  Unlike some, my life does not revolve around the military 24/7.  I don't say that to be rude or condescending, it is just a fact. Since I have my own career goals, I sometimes forget the basic information that I do know, but do not use on a regular basis.  Add my husband being reserve, though we have been on AGR orders almost the whole last 3-5 years, I do sometimes come across as an idiot. mostly because I find myself having to switch Army mentality on and off.  And to add to it, he is going to WOCS which adds a whole new aspect to the game.

So back to my attitude.  We chit chatted and as I sat there, I came to the conclusion that we all were pretty much in agreement that we didn't want drama and we wanted to support the soldiers and their families, especially our wounded warriors.  In essence, four women sat in a room and supported each other rather than back stab or gossip.  I felt my attitude slowly changing.  One of the wives was talking about the lack of information about resources for wounded vets.  Another wife perked up and mentioned that her husband worked for the Wounded Warrior Project. 

Since I have several students that are vets of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I listened as well.  She told us a bit about it, but told us that she would have her husband contact us with more information. We ended our meeting on a positive note, which made me realize that my attitude had changed in a few hours time.  I realized that I was there at that meeting for a reason: to make contact with someone who could help me with my students who are veterans.

I have always lent a listening ear to my students who are current or prior service members.  Mostly because I do that for all my students, but also because I have a bit of an idea where they are coming from.  However, the biggest frustration is to hear someone upset or feeling helpless and not knowing what I can do to help them.  Making this contact when I didn't really feel like going, made me realize that attitude is everything and keeping an open mind is vital. And that I was there for a reason. I also had to keep on mind the quote that: 
In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.  ~José Narosky
So I'll conclude with this.  As many of you read this and prepare for your own journey or are inspired by mine.  Remember that attitude and a willingness to keep an open mind are important.  Without these you will become easily discouraged, frustrated, and perhaps angry.  Remember that attitude is everything when trying to reach any goal.  When you are faced with the impossible, having a good attitude will help you forget how hard the road is to success.  A favorite quote of mine is in the preface, but it bears repeating...

The difference between an opportunity and an obstacle is your attitude.