PBDC Day 22/31: Morning

Each morning, when I wake up, regardless of what time it is, I open the blinds at the balcony door. Most days, it let's the sunlight in, but on those days when I've woken up before the sun has risen, I still open them.

I do this because I was on a submarine.

Yes, I've been out for almost ten years, but what I experienced and learned while in the US Navy (not to be confused with Old Navy, which I'm still happy to be with), applies to my life every single day and helps me to appreciate what's around me.

Let's just be out with it: There are no windows on submarines. Yeah, I know the Yellow Submarine, Nemo's Adventure at Disneyland, blazi, blazi, blah. But on actual functioning, deploying, diving, Silent Service submarines there are no windows or portholes to "watch the fish swim by" or "look to see where you are."

There are so many things that I appreciate so much more after having served aboard a submarine than before, one of which is natural light. Think of all those times you turned on a lamp out of habit instead of opening the blinds or drawing the curtains? If given a choice, I go with sunlight every time. It just feels better. Really.

Those days when you walk outside and literally stop for a couple seconds to feel the sun warm your face? When's the last time you did that in a hallway under fluorescent lights or LED lamps? That's right, you didn't.

I fully recognize that there are billions of people who will never experience the privilege (or sentence) of serving aboard a vessel devoid of windows and natural light like the USS Hyman G Rickover, SSN-709, but that doesn't mean you can't appreciate things many still take for granted.

Like that coffee maker on your counter, or that toaster. Or that water heater, oven, or dishwasher. Or those windows in your apartment that you live in by yourself with out hundreds of other people in the room with you. Or fresh vegetables and fruit.

I'm very proud to have served in the Navy, but also a little bit ashamed that it took me such a drastic lifestyle change to appreciate things I was privileged to have as a child, and still today. Like I said, you don't need to serve in the military to appreciate certain things (like those who served in the military), you just have to open your eyes are really see. Open your mind and really feel.

Open your heart and really live.

Photo and Blog a Day Challenge Day 4/28: A Convenience

When I woke up this morning and finally got to my phone, I checked out the photo prompt for the day. Now, I'm not as creatively diligent about this photo a day challenge as I just made it sounds, I changed my phone's home screen to the list of daily photo challenges. (It isn't too late to join, so you can check it out in my Day 1/28 post here.)

Seeing that day four's challenge listed "a convenience" I almost took a picture of the toilet. Because yeah, think about it. Plumbing is a luxury. I know we've come a long way since medieval potholes, but still, you take that porcelain pot for granted. It swallows your waste every day and you don't even say thanks.

But I opted to pass on the first idea that came to mind. Another idea was my car, but that was quickly scratched. Then I thought about my shoes. Those are definitely a convenience. I may occasionally refer to them as a necessity, but they really aren't. There are sandals and socks, and even bare feet days. That being said, they aren't a necessity, they're a convenience. Even so, it was not the one I wanted to highlight.

On my way home from work I thought about some food we had in the fridge, and I pictured one of my favorites--eggs. Fresh raw eggs in their foamy box of a home awaiting your next culinary creation. Whether you're hard boiling them or getting ready to crack their shells and release they gooey, slimy goodness into a hot pan, a bowl of dry ingredients for a baked treat. I wasn't a huge fan of eggs growing up, they were ok, just not crazy about them. Hard boiled eggs I've always enjoyed, however.

It wasn't until I joined the Navy that I really began to appreciate fresh eggs. Large pans of what was being passed off as scrambled eggs. Not a sunny side up in sight for miles. And then once I got to my sub, the limitations of food storage on board meant plenty of canned foods, pouches of Just Add Water foods, and questionable substitutes.

But in port there were fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs. Oh, the fresh eggs. The omelets with chopped veggies, the sunny side punctured on my plate wiped up with toast, reaching out to my bacon. EGGS.

But still, I do not nominate them to IG/Blogger stardom.

And then I see it. This...

My contribution to the Photo and Blog Challenge for A Convenience is a dumpster.

(I'm taking a moment to pat myself on the back for the happy accident of a full literary circle that I've created for myself.)

The dumpster, like the toilet I saw earlier this morning, is a vessel for our waste. Granted, it's not the same type of waste, but it's still trash we don't want around our home. Another convenience I believe many take for granted.

What if the dumpster wasn't there and we had to all take individual trips to landfills, or incinerators, or worse, just litter? Maybe we'd be better at composting, or creating less waste, so maybe it's partially enabling, but still..the dumpster is a sweet convenience.

And as I think about trash aboard the submarines...crushing cans and keeping them on board for weeks at a time...it isn't pretty. So yeah, the dumpster wins my vote for today.

And it helped me take another few moments today to realize how good life really is, and that too many things are taken for granted and are just accepted as necessity.