In Die Pen Dance

A late blog post with a decent excuse. Instead of B-Logging early this morning I spent that time in a face to face conversation over coffee with a retired RECON Marine Gunnery Sergeant whom I had met for the first time last year. Gunny S retired after 20 years of service in 2007. He had served with the Army during the 'War' that I was in and shortly thereafter enlisted in the Corps where he traveled the world as a Special Operations Capable soldier. In between 2003 and 2005 Gunny S participated in OIF 1 and OIF 2. More recently he has been to Afghanistan and Yemen where he worked on Secret Operations for agencies of the U.S. Government. Listening to this American talk was like reading a non-fiction book that reaffirmed my understanding of this moment before us, our now.

This image which you have seen as a recent header was made by me during the 2010 NASCAR Speed Street here in Charlotte in the last week of May. Please take a moment to study this 1/500th of a second slice of time, an honest picture of the strategy of a Nation at war on two fronts. Let Free Dumb ring...
For the past few years during this festival of insanity I have jumped in(to discover Ranch) feet first and made an extensive photo document of what I was seeing. This year my heart was no longer in it after making a total of less than six frames. This is what it looks like from the outside in.
Now you are looking at it from within itself toward the other end.
A closer inspection reveals a constant theme. It is free, I will take it, put it in me then throw it away because the trucks headed to the landfill are staged with glossed tires right around the corner.
The Gunny had arrived early this morning from the NC coast on his big BMW Touring motor bike rig. I doubt that Charlotte will be the last stop on his present journey. As he talked, I could only listen and watch his crystal clear light green glowing eyes tell the truth about what he had seen in the not so far away Middle East as a Special Forces Marine. Real communication is authentic and like the invisible force of gravity or love it can ground me to the earth and give me cause to consider my place on it. Sometimes I hear people say that there is just too much going on to actually think about it. For someone who has physically and emotionally had to deal with it, that is not an option. The consequences for active lack of thought are too great and detached from the actuality that has brought them to this point in their life. Sensory input levels to one's psyche, a starting point for forming thoughts begin with living out those moments as an extension of a way of life under one nation. I could hear the Gunny's emotional voice describing for me without realizing it, the God within him being one with his place on the earth.

We have a long Holiday weekend to celebrate our Country's Independence from tyranny so many years ago. The only thing I have planned over the three days is an all day pass to go ride in the mountains of NC with a fellow enthusiast friend of mine(report early next week) on Saturday. The other two days will be spent close to home just being in those moments without a plan on a plan it.

It is difficult for me to verbalize some sort of celebratory 4th of July message to you my beautiful audience within the context of our time. I would rather suggest that at some point this weekend you take a moment to look into the expanses of the sky and realize that my friend the Gunny is just one human example of the sacrifices being made by individuals willing to take the look in and not run from it. Truly the only ones that understand war and its true implications are those that have and are dealing with it.