My apologies for not posting this month, this has been a very long, trying month for me.
Today is Halloween. The wonderful opportunity for everyone to dress up as something scary, or their favorite comic book hero, or as someone they admire. Today I have seen witches, ninjas, Captain America, fairies, and Jessie from Toy Story. You have to admit, and I don't care how old you are, but we all miss dressing up and trick-or-treating. I miss going to my grandparents' house and getting homemade popcorn balls, and the flavored tootsie rolls. I miss church Halloween activities, and going to school to be in the parade held every year on the playground. I miss it all.
Today I decided to dress up as my hero. I dug out some ACU pants, boots, the tan t-shirt, the old yucky socks, and the webbed belt. I always knew that PJ was tall and skinny, but I never knew exactly how tall and how skinny. Fitting into these pants was hell, but fun. Fitting in the boots however, I could have worn at least 3 more pairs of socks, and still had room! And in case you didn't know, the military (at least the Army) has a very distinct smell. Not a bad smell, but a unique smell. For those of you wives in the military that do the laundry, you know exactly what smell I am referring to. So today, I have been bathed in a smell that I have missed for what seems like an eternity. I can't describe what that brings me back to.
After spending a very average day, walking around in some pretty big shoes, I have learned several things. The first, you can't wait until the last possible minute to go potty. There are no zippers in these pants. Buttons and velcro only. Do not be fooled by its practicality. Only the bravest of the bravest wear these trousers.
Truthfully, after wearing just half of a uniform today, I can do nothing but have respect for what burden the American soldier must carry in order to protect this country. Each and every piece of this uniform plays an important part in how a soldier does his or her job. Each pocket to hold any number of things, whether it is just a patrol cap, or a handkerchief to wipe their brow with in the desert heat. Each pair of boots, to project the feet of someone who has trained themselves to walk for an eternity, no matter what the terrain. Heavy boots that any normal person wouldn't have the leg strength to carry around. No stopping to deal with blisters, or a slipped sock. Just marching along, doing a job that they promised to do. I have treated my feet badly over the last few years, not on purpose. However, I'm fairly certain that given the opportunity, my feet would disown me. Especially after today. I managed to make myself wear those boots all day, and I can't imagine what 8 hours of pain to me, translates into 24 hours of wear and tear on the feet of a soldier.
This might be one of my more rambling posts, but I just miss my PJ. I dressed up to be close to him. I had so much fun doing it. But spending the day in his uniform, and trying to walk around in his boots, has made me feel so close to him that it's like I can touch him. It's a feeling that I know everyone has about the person they love, but we all recognize it in different ways.
Time to go scrub this paint off of my face. And miss my PJ. And cuddle my doggies. And miss my PJ. Oh, and miss my PJ.
Hope everyone had a wonderful time taking their kiddies trick-or-treating! Good night!!
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