As Memorial Day draws nigh

Tomorrow is the last Monday in May, when the United States observes Memorial Day.  While the day has become a time to remember those who have died, millions across the country will pause to remember the meaning of the day and will honor those who gave their lives for the freedom of this nation.

It is a solemn day.  So many gave their lives defending the freedom of this nation.  They may have questioned the reasons why they were sent to war (and I don't just mean our current one, so calm down, Bushites), but they went.  They died defending our system of beliefs.  They deserve our utmost respect and reverence.

I've often wondered how my generation would have reacted had we faced the cataclysmic events that catapulted the U.S. into World War II or had we been teenagers when the Towers fell on 9/11.  My gut tells me the reaction would not have been as admirable as that of our counterparts in 1941 and 2001.  I'm not proud of that.  Perhaps that's why I have a particular obsession with the literature of war.  From the Revolutionary War to the current brouhaha in Afghanistan, I have read a slew of books and I have been inspired and humbled by the sacrifices of those who were far less selfish than my generation.  I mean what does my generation have to call its own?  MTV. Madonna.  The coke-addled 80's.  We set the bar pretty low, people.

I'd like to share a list of some of the books that have had a profound impact on me as I've considered the actions of those who fought for this country.  For your consideration:

• Band of Brothers, Stephen Ambrose - actually anything Ambrose has written is worth reading, but this telling of Easy Company and World War II is amazing.  The HBO mini-series is an incredible companion and should be required viewing in any and all American History courses.
• In the Company of Soldiers, Rick Atkinson - gripping look into the early days of the Iraq War
• The Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw - the generation I wish my generation could be.  Read this and understand why.
• Behind the Lines, Andrew Carroll - letters from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq War.  Deeply personal.
• War Letters, Andrew Carroll - the first of two books that capture war from the eyes of those that fought.  Stunning.
• One Bullet Away, Nathaniel Fick - inspiring story of the making of an officer in the Iraq War.
• The Heart and The Fist, Eric Greitens - second story of the making of an officer in the Iraq War.  Both are stories of very smart young men who could have been sitting in an office on Wall Street, but instead chose to fight for their country.
• Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand - incredible story of a U.S. Olympian turned soldier turned P.O.W. and his story of survival.  I was so sorry I hadn't heard this story when I was in school.  But I went to public school in Arizona, a state where you'll do more time for knocking over a 7-11 than for killing a child.  I shouldn't be shocked about the quality of my education.
• The Cat from Hue, John Laurence - a reporter's ground-level view of the war in Vietnam.
• Final Salute, Jim Sheeler - this is one of the most moving books I've ever read.  I wrote about it here.  I defy you to read this book without weeping for the lives that were cut short.  The subtitle of the book is 'A Story of Unfinished Lives.'  Is there anything sadder?
• Lost In Shangri-La, Mitchell Zuckoff - while not about a battle field incident, this book is an epic story of survival and ingenuity during World War II.  Further proof why they were the Greatest Generation.

I am profoundly grateful for the actions and sacrifices of those who gave all for the freedom of this nation.  May we honor their memory on Memorial Day.

On things old

I found myself encountering old things today.  For those of us who grew up as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we attended Primary and one of the songs we learned was one about keeping the Sabbath Day holy.  It goes a little like this:

Saturday is a special day

It's the day we get ready for Sunday

All these years later, Saturday is still the day to get ready for Sunday.  One of those things I did today was to get my hair cut.  The place I stumbled into for today's cut offered old-school straight-razor shaves.  I hadn't shaved and thought, 'why not?'  So after my haircut, my face was covered is piping hot tools and then my beard got lathered up, and out came the old-school straight razor.  I've been shaving regularly for more than thirty years and I am not exaggerating when I say this was THE.BEST.SHAVE.OF.MY.LIFE.  I mean it.  As I sat there, completely relaxed, never once thinking about the fact that there was straight-edge razor dancing impressively close to my jugular vein, I kept thinking about the old school barbers you'd see in the old Western movies.  You know the ones...where they'd sharpen the razor on a leather strap and then shave away.  I was "Maverick" for a moment.  Once I came out of the reverie of the amazing shave, I realized I'm spoiled for any kind of shave again.  I have no idea how I'm going to go back to the razor I use now.  It's going to be rough tomorrow.

NOT the old man I ran into today

It was then time to check out a new grocery store.  Grocery stores, to me, tell a lot about a place.  I liked this one.  I picked up a couple of things and found myself at the front of the store, playing 'Gambling for Lanes.' You know the game - scope out the shoppers in front of you, assess how long it will take and if they are going to write a check, and then pick your poison.  As I went for a lane, an old man with a heavily-laden cart swung in front of me.  He took a look at the meager content of my cart and said, or growled, and I quote, 'Go ahead of me. I gotta wait for the damn wife.'  I chuckled and took him up on his offer.  He continued to harumph and complain to anyone who walked by about having to wait for his, and I'm just spit-balling here, beleagured wife.  I'm guessing life with Grumpy hasn't been a walk in the park for her either. 

While I couldn't help but chuckle over my encounter with this elderly version of Al Bundy, I made a promise to myself.  I am not going to be that guy.  I've been repeating it to myself all day.  I am not going to be that guy.  I'm not going to blaspheme the mighty fine and stunningly patient SML when I'm 82 and waiting for her at the grocery store.  I'll just be delighted if I make it to 82.

Nostalgic

Maybe it's the fact that ESPN Classic has, on what appears to be the best whim ever, been playing episodes of TV's greatest homage to mediocre talent and flash-in-the-pan stardom, 'Battle of the Network Stars,' or maybe it's the fact that we are just over two weeks away from completing the sale of our house that I'm waxing a bit nostalgic.

That wave of nostalgia rose to new heights today.  I'm test driving a brand-new, fully loaded Mercedes GLK350 for 24 hours.  Lest you think I've gone mad and am buying a new car while we are trying to close one house, move, and find another, I assure you that I'm not.  Buying a new car, I mean. Going, or gone, mad is subject to interpretation. Long story short is that from time to time at work we are asked to test vehicles for our fleet and provide feedback on them. So that's what I'm doing.  Don't worry my OMC (Old Man Car) is staying with me.

Anyway, since said vehicle has all the bells and whistles, as soon I got in it, I fired up the SiriusXM radio and went directly to Channel 8 - the 80's on 8.  In no time, thanks to that great music, it was high school all over again.  The memories flooded back, like the proverbial tsunami.  It was great fun.  I realized that it had been awhile since I had satellite radio and I'd forgotten that they'd managed to resurrect the careers of a few of these people:

Martha Quinn, who sure could use a sandwich from the looks of things in this picture, and the pseudo-rock chick blonde, Nina Blackwood, are both DJ's on the Sirius 80's channel.  Hearing Martha brought back a lot of good memories. Hearing Nina was terrifying.  If you haven't heard her lately, imagine, if you will, a smoke-filled Las Vegas casino that hasn't seen a renovation since 1968. Notably, it's not hired a new waitress since '68 either.  Now imagine that veteran waitress coming up to you after her smoke break where she managed to inhale an entire pack of unfiltered Camels and asking you, 'OK, honey, what do you want?'  You know what that voice sounds like and it's scary.  That's what Nina sounded like to me today.  It was rough.

It wasn't rough enough to kill the nostalgia buzz.  It's been great.  The more I think about it though,  I really do think this is about all that's going on here in the Den right now.  There's a lot changing.  In the face of change, sometimes you cling to the good old days.  It was good to take that trip down memory lane today.

Measuring Life

When it comes to self-confidence, I've never felt like I've lacked in that area.  I've always thought I was pretty self-confident and self-assured, but not to the point of egomania (except for my teen-age years and for those of you who knew me then, all I ask is your forgiveness).

Here's a peek, welcome or otherwise, into my psyche.  My self-confidence has always eroded faster than Britney Skank Spears' mental stability whenever I've been told, 'Why can't you be more like So-and-so?' When told this, I hear the following: 'So-and-so is much better than you.  You won't measure up.'  This reaction was particularly acute when I was younger.  Monthly interviews with my mission president when I was nineteen and twenty were always fraught with internal tension for me as I waited for him to say, "Elder Lyons, be more like Elder So-and-So.  Look at all's he doing."  None of this was malicious in its intent.  It was meant for me to learn from those around me.  Learning, or being teachable, is a key hallmark of humility.  Suffice to say, I struggled with that principle.

Fast-forward twenty-seven years or so, and I still find myself wondering how do I, or more to the point, how does my life measure up?  When I measure my life up to this point, firmly seen from my middle-aged perch, I think it's been good, really good.  I'm not deluded enough to call it perfect.  That stated, I'm looking forward to getting some insight from this tome:

I've just started reading it and I'm intrigued by the book's premise.  Christensen is a brilliant thinker.  He and I share the same religious faith and I'm eager to see how he incorporates those principles into this book.  Those principles have already help me firmly root my life and show me the measures of my life that matter.  I'm still interested to see what insights I gain from reading this.

Thanks for indulging me.  I guess that's what happens when you find yourself getting all kinds of introspective on a quiet Sunday.