DILUTED MEANING STILL MEANS SOMETHING

Too often, doubt creates diluted meaning.

If something seems unbelievable, and someone says it’s unbelievable, do you believe it?

Even when there’s a shred of reasonable doubt?

Whose gut instinct do you trust, yours or some stranger with a loud voice?

If you played high school football in the early seventies, having a loud voice was was a prerequisite for coaches.

Louder was better?

If you don’t believe that, what else don’t you believe?

Our coaches seemed like they did a good job, but there was an underlying feeling that they thought we were all losers more interested in the After Game Dance, than the game.

In the middle of my high school football career the town found a new leader, a new head coach.

As juniors we were deemed damaged goods with a diluted meaning of what sports meant.

For adults, sports were a job with extra pay added to their teacher’s salaries.

It was also a way for grown men to extend their notion of what they were all about.

They may be been winners in another life, but as coaches they had a hard time creating a winning program.

When my class turned into seniors we decided to show we weren’t the problem.

With that goal, we won more games and almost had a winning season.

We never beat Marshfield in three tries, but won enough games to feel better about ourselves.

More important, we set the bar for the other kids and the new coach.

We believed in coach Howard Johnson, that spirit caught on, and he eventually led the Bulldogs to the playoffs with winning records.

After my class graduated things took off, but we set the pace before leaving.

The Season After Football? Wrestling Season

Before high school ended a couple of students picked up new jewelry.

Even though the football team had a hard time winning on the field, some of the players won on the mats.

The football coaches couldn’t figure out where to play the toughest guy in school.

He big and ran the football like a pro, so they put him on the line.

On the mats he won a national championship with an award for Outstanding Wrestler in the meet.

This was the kid who could have helped us to a winning football season, and that’s no diluted meaning.

The First Wave Of The All-Volunteer Army

That’s your correspondent in the middle of a climbing exercise.

The first haul of the all volunteer Army was a training challenge.

On one hand, the Army wanted to look good to prospective candidates.

To that end recruiters must have gone to Liar’s School based on the bitching and moaning among the trainee troops.

On the other hand, the Drill Sergeants wanted us to know we’d be the best quipped, best trained military force in the world.

At least that was the idea when the ass-kicking started.

Was the training more difficult with volunteers, or draftees?

One of the guys in the platoon was older, old enough to be prior service from the Vietnam War.

He said we were grinding harder this time because his first time was designed to get soldiers battle ready and off to the jungles.

“The Drill Sergeants need to show their worth, and that means breaking people down more than usual,” he said.

Some of the guys broke. It was too much.

Service, Not Diluted Meaning

How many people jumped from high school to the Army?

We had college graduates, GEDs, married men who who left their previous lives for a new start.

I had a year of college and college wrestling behind me when I signed up.

They made me the Platoon Guide and sent me to the Leadership Academy.

I had rank and watched how others used their rank.

Having some authority can change guys who’d never had any authority, who never played sports.

They responded to their new status by turning into jackasses and yelling like a poor example of a coach.

I took a different approach. Some of the guys were hurting when they learned they were lied to by their recruiter.

They wanted to quit, go AWOL, and I talked them down.

Me: If you leave, we all get punished.

Soldier: I can’t stay. My wife is pregnant and I need to be there.

Me: If you leave and they bring you back to the platoon, the guys will be angry with you.

Soldier: They’re kids who don’t know what I’m going through and the Drill Sergeants don’t care.

Me: If you come back you might get a blanket party welcome home.

Soldier: Are you going to swing on me with a bar of soap in a sock.

Me: My heart won’t be in it, so I’ll go easy.

Be Somebody, Diluted Meaning Or Not

Be kind.

It won’t make you weak, or turn you into a sissy, if you show a little kindness.

And you don’t need to make kindness a big production.

Do something quietly helpful and move along.

You scored, won. Whether big, or little, it counts, which is important to those keeping score.

Bear in mind you don’t need to keep score.

If you’re a husband, do something nice for your wife; if you’re a wife, and your husband tries to do something nice, show some kindness and don’t tell him what else to do.

Do this often enough and you may find yourself married to a better person than you started with.

You will be a better person for trying.

Why does it matter? Because not everyone grew up the same way, or had similar experiences before marriage.

A kind husband and wife set an example to others on the fence.

If they can’t decide between kindness and who gives a damn, your example will help.

You’ll know you’re on the right track when you hear:

“I can’t believe you’d care enough to do that.”

“Well, we’re married and I’d hate it if anyone else helped out.”

“You were so kind that I know you loved helping.”

“I didn’t love it too much, and don’t want to do it again, but if it helps I will.”

“I have such a good husband.”

“Don’t tell your friends, then they’ll all want one.”

“They can’t have you.”

“Sealed with a kiss?”

“Let’s start with firm handshake with the governor and see how it goes.”

“I vote for that.”