Are you Prepared?

Today's blog is compliments of my baby sister Sam in the 'Stan.  In the 21 days she was home, I learned a lot of things about me.  It is funny how and when life teaches you her lessons, but I am greatful when I am paying attention.  Thanks Sam for teaching me! 

Sam is the one on the right.  Don't forget life is about having fun and enjoying the moment!

Think of the scariest movie you’ve ever seen or the most adventurous book you’ve ever read. Whether it’s Jaws by Steven Spielberg, or Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien. Now as you think of it, imagine yourself as the character swimming away from the giant shark or the hobbit that must walk his way through the mountains and caves. You know you’ve done it; imagined yourself as that character, as the hero. If you were in that position, would you have made the same decisions? In your physical state at this very moment, would you even be able to swim fast enough to get away or last 20 minutes hiking up a hill?

I know these may seem like odd questions, but when I read a book, I always imagine myself as the character, and I always wonder, would I be able to do it better or last longer. The book that I always think about in moments when I question my physique is World War Z by Max Brooks. I read this book two and half years ago. It’s a story about the world being at war with zombies. No, I don’t believe in zombies, nor do I even like reading Sci-Fi books about zombies. But even for my dislike of such a genre, I have to say this book really captured my attention. The main reason is because the book is written through the eyes of the interviewees from around the world. Some of the stories were about people fighting off the zombies, while others spoke of running miles to get away, climbing down the outside of buildings, or hiking for hours just to avoid catching the “disease”.

And that is what intrigued me so much. If there was another World War and the attack happened in my hometown, would I be physically fit to fight back, to climb out windows, to run 5 miles fast enough not to be caught? Two and a half years ago, the answer would have been no. I’m nothing if not honest with myself and I knew I couldn’t even run a half mile without being winded. This book was so well written that it made me question, minus the zombies, if a war happened at any moment, would I be ready? I suddenly knew that I was not. And for some reason, that really pushed me to get off my bed and start being active.

Ironically, a year and a half later, I found myself in a war zone, Afghanistan to be exact. Here, I have to train wearing forty pounds of body armor. I run up four flights of stairs in this stuff at 2am, for training. We practice running from one car to another in our gear, pretending we are under attack. We practice climbing up tiny ladders to a secure point wearing the body armor. And in one region, I’m not going to lie, in case of an emergency, we had to jump from one roof top to another, exactly four and a half feet apart, with our body armor. All as part of our training!

Fortunately, I have never had to use any of this under a real attack, but that hasn’t stopped us from being prepared. And that is why I often think about this book. About how it was my catalyst to get me off the bed and start working out. Because you never know what life may bring or where it might take you. So when you read this, or watch your scary movie or read your adventure book, ask yourself, in this moment, right now while I’m reading this, would I be physically able to do what this person is doing or has done? And if you are honest with yourself, you may be encouraged to get up and do something!

From Sam in the 'Stan ;)