The other day was Veterans Day. I didn’t have to work so I took the boys to school late and did some running around. I got Christmas lights for the outside of my house and planned out my decorations. It really made me want to run home and start digging out all of the Christmas things. The place I want to go to buy my Christmas tree isn’t even open yet. Therefore, I guess I’m forced to wait. “He” thinks I should wait until after Thanksgiving, well, he actually wants to decorate Thanksgiving night but I said NO WAY. I have to be at work at 11:30pm on Thanksgiving Day and work a 10-hour shift. Gotta love Black Friday. This super sale shopping day is starting to take away from the glory of Thanksgiving. I have to say, this is an awesome day to work in retail but also a nightmare day. It wouldn’t be so bad if we didn’t keep opening earlier and earlier every year. Very not cool!
Anyway, to get back on track…We went to Applebee’s for lunch. It was jam packed because veterans ate for free all day. We were able to go right in and the only available seats were at the bar. We sat there, sandwiched between war veterans. Also, I am not the kind of person to be very patriotic. It isn’t for any particular reason. I’m thankful for what these men and women have done for my country. You just wouldn’t catch me wearing a flag shirt or anything. I’m not complaining at all. Quite the opposite actually. It was nice to see so many people who have fought for my freedom all in one place. I felt an overwhelming sense of thankfulness and warmth. Everyone was in a good mood and the atmosphere was very…”at ease.”
While sitting there eating. We couldn’t help but to comment on a few things we noticed. Mostly all of the younger veterans were talking loudly about what they have been though. I’m thankful that my boys were not there because curse words flew and talk of bombs, bodies, and getting rid of ammo were aplenty. The memory of war was fresh in these young men’s mind and they sure talked about it. It may seem a little disrespectful, but I could really go without hearing these stories. I felt that since we were in a family setting, they should have kept their voices low when speaking of all this death, destruction, and war stories. They earned the right to be able to tell their story though.
We did however notice that all of the older veterans were sitting and chatting quietly between them about daily things. They would ask questions like, “Where were you stationed? What was your ranking?” They were simple questions that required simple answers. They never got into detail about what they have been though. I thought maybe because it wasn’t so fresh in their mind, but then I thought that maybe they just didn’t want to talk about it. They have seen a lot of death and destruction, why bring back the memory?
We sat next to an older gentleman name Amos. He told us he was a vet. And that’s all he said about that. We started talking about life. He told many great stories of his childhood. We listened intently to everything he had to say. He told us all that he is doing now adays. He mentioned that half of his pay goes to his x-wife, he’s always achy, he works in a body shop, and he doesn’t have much to show for how hard he worked for our country. It was somewhat sad to think about it. All he gets from it is a free meal once a year. He seemed happy with his life and quite content.
It was nice talking about all the things he did when he was younger. It surely was a lot of things that children would take for granted today. Running through the cornfield, picking black berries, climbing trees, making forts, and just being outside. Is seems that all of these things have been replaced with television, game systems, and computers. Lol, as you can see, I’m quite bitter about technology and how it relates to my boys. Talking to Amos made me hope and pray that I can provide my boys with the fun and memories that “simple times” can bring.
