It's Friday the 13th and a full moon! It's most likely the last one in my lifetime, as the next one is in 2049. I might make it to 86, who knows? But, I'm going to enjoy the moonlight out of this one :)
Friday the 13th has always been a lucky day for me. When I was in bootcamp, we had to compete with other companies for flags. Our company was one of the worst when it came to getting it together. I always said we were a combination of "Stripes" and "Private Benjamin".
On Friday the 13th of this particular year, we had to compete for one of the most coveted of flags- the one for Physical Fitness. It all came down to the final challenge- Tug of War. I had to hold the front line, and one of my best buds had to hold up the rear. Both of us were tall (I'm almost 5'10" and she was just slightly shorter than me with a stockier build) and in really good shape by this point of our training. We had several other girls on our team, but the two of us not only had the strength of the rest of the girls combined, we also were the most stubborn. The opposing team was tough, and we both were pulling valiantly against each other. Many of the girls on my team began to wither, and some were literally hanging on by a rope thread.
I don't know why a sudden burst of inspiration hit me at the time it did, but I realized all of the sudden that it was Friday the 13th. And, that's all I needed. I looked that my buddy in the back and the girls in between us and I grinned. They told me later that I had a sparkle in my eye, and it looked like I had a plan and they all of the sudden got a burst of inspiration and strength that they didn't know they had. I yelled to all of them, " TO THE REAR MARCH!"- now, if you've been in the military, you know that we get trained like Pavlov's dogs at times to do things. This command is something well ingrained in a military member in bootcamp.
My friend in the back looked at me, grinned and laughed and then turned on that rope like she had just conquered an anaconda and she began to march. The other girls on our team jumped up with her and started marching and pulling that rope like it was nothing... we shocked the other team so much with that sudden burst of energy that they all tumbled down like dominoes. We dragged them across the line, and won the tug of war. It was like something out of a movie.
Needless to say, we earned the coveted PF flag, and the respect of our fellow companies and commanders, and we lost the stigma attached to us, just like that. We walked taller, stronger and had finally gelled together as a team. We were proud and happy girls through the rest of our training together. We declared Friday the 13th was our lucky day, and it's been that way ever since for me.
That's just one of my lucky Friday the 13th stories. I have dozens of them. It's a great day, and I am sharing my luck with you. So, go out there and do something extraordinary today. This day's going to be fantastic!
Sláinte!
Friday the 13th has always been a lucky day for me. When I was in bootcamp, we had to compete with other companies for flags. Our company was one of the worst when it came to getting it together. I always said we were a combination of "Stripes" and "Private Benjamin".
On Friday the 13th of this particular year, we had to compete for one of the most coveted of flags- the one for Physical Fitness. It all came down to the final challenge- Tug of War. I had to hold the front line, and one of my best buds had to hold up the rear. Both of us were tall (I'm almost 5'10" and she was just slightly shorter than me with a stockier build) and in really good shape by this point of our training. We had several other girls on our team, but the two of us not only had the strength of the rest of the girls combined, we also were the most stubborn. The opposing team was tough, and we both were pulling valiantly against each other. Many of the girls on my team began to wither, and some were literally hanging on by a rope thread.
I don't know why a sudden burst of inspiration hit me at the time it did, but I realized all of the sudden that it was Friday the 13th. And, that's all I needed. I looked that my buddy in the back and the girls in between us and I grinned. They told me later that I had a sparkle in my eye, and it looked like I had a plan and they all of the sudden got a burst of inspiration and strength that they didn't know they had. I yelled to all of them, " TO THE REAR MARCH!"- now, if you've been in the military, you know that we get trained like Pavlov's dogs at times to do things. This command is something well ingrained in a military member in bootcamp.
My friend in the back looked at me, grinned and laughed and then turned on that rope like she had just conquered an anaconda and she began to march. The other girls on our team jumped up with her and started marching and pulling that rope like it was nothing... we shocked the other team so much with that sudden burst of energy that they all tumbled down like dominoes. We dragged them across the line, and won the tug of war. It was like something out of a movie.
Needless to say, we earned the coveted PF flag, and the respect of our fellow companies and commanders, and we lost the stigma attached to us, just like that. We walked taller, stronger and had finally gelled together as a team. We were proud and happy girls through the rest of our training together. We declared Friday the 13th was our lucky day, and it's been that way ever since for me.
That's just one of my lucky Friday the 13th stories. I have dozens of them. It's a great day, and I am sharing my luck with you. So, go out there and do something extraordinary today. This day's going to be fantastic!
Sláinte!
