I saw this sign hanging outside a church in downtown Portsmouth NH. The message was a simple request Hang On America and a reminder ..We can Endure. I haven’t been able to shake thinking about the message. This year has presented struggles i.e pandemic, isolation, politics, race, sex and financial issues. But are these new for us ??….No… to some people OK yes, maybe.
Thinking back a bit over time… Many of us have witnessed the Vietnam war protests, student unrest, Watergate, the Iran hostage episode, Ebola, multiple Flu scares… we endured all those and moved on …until the the next crisis hit us… We have periods of rest then we endure ….that is what makes us stronger. It’s life… The Marines used a recruiting slogan “We never promised you a rose garden” which captures the essence of life’s promise…its gonna be hard but worth it. Just when we think we can’t take any more darkness and difficulty, we manage through to the end of the tunnel…we prevail. Some even “Improvise, Adapt and Overcome” another great Marine slogan.
Slogan’s aside…I see a lot of fear as I move through the streets. My wish is that we maintain the courage we’ve learned from the past to face the fear… re-apply the wisdom we’ve used to think things through and regain the strength to endure the pain. After all “Pain is just weakness leaving the body“… sorry another Marine Corps slogan .. Semper Fi America (Always Faithful) to all… Endure… and embrace your strength.
The Bow Legged Blogger 
Were you a Marine? My father was and semperfi! was his password for damn near everything. My heart is heavy tonight. This country is in trouble.
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Good Morning…Thanks for reaching out.. Yes, like your Dad I am a Marine… We never use that term in the past tense as once you a United States Marine you are always a Marine…. It’s a mindset thing. We become a tribe which extends beyond each other to our families as well so whether you know it or not you’ve got a support system of men and woman around the globe that are ready to support you. Semper Fi
In speaking about mindset I must admit I’ve been thinking about both yours and mine since yesterday. I read your post “COVID-19: Day 82: Early Mornings” yesterday morning and was struck by the similarities in our routines.. Up at 4 AM, drinking, peeing, mind wandering etc… It had me wondering how many of us night crawlers are up and about around this country… but the reason I’ve been thinking about your post was … I felt that the lens you see the natural biological / physical changes we are experiencing on our journey is somewhat gray. I know because I too had the same view a few mornings ago looking at my own reflection in the mirror. But a growth mindset is the true gift the Marines helped me develop. Its a growth mindset that is based on facing adversity by ‘Adapting, Improvising and Overcoming.’
So what is my point? You wrote “My heart is heavy tonight. This country is in trouble.” I agree that presently what we read, see and hear through the various media channels is concerning to put it mildly. Using a growth mindset one has to belief that coping skills can developed. If you believe that you can improve through effort, then there is a reason to persevere. If you believe that our emotional control is fixed, then there would be no reason to work at learning the skills you need to make things better for yourself.
A fixed mindset comes from the viewpoint that nothing will work and so there’s no reason to try. In the growth mind world, it’s about having the determination to learn a better way forward and knowing through your efforts it will and must happen.
Sorry for the long soapbox response.. I’m the last person on earth to preach ..but, it’s just that your recent posts got me past the improvise phase and on to overcoming… I rode my bike 62 miles yesterday morning…to Portsmouth had a chocolate chip muffin, dark roast coffee and a cup of fish chowder…riding along the coast line I have to say that our country looked pretty dam good to me and my heart was heavy no more.
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