Day 1 of 22: Veteran Suicide Awareness Push-Up Challenge

Home from work.
Dishes dirtied by my miscreant family into the dishwasher.
Dishwasher started.
Dog fed his dinner.
400% Humidity first day photo taken.
Photo deleted. Ain't nobody needs to see that.
Angles considered as to how far feet should be out for this mantle push-up.
Hair braided.

You know you are procrastinating when you start doing math voluntarily... it's time.

Carpet is 2 ½ feet from the fireplace, my feet are feet 6 inches back onto carpet. Mantle is 4 feet high, so I am more upright than lateral. My chin is at the mantle edge when I am “down”, so at least I know my arm angle is about right, even if this makes me a wimp.

Me doing push ups. Lines are to scale. I am not. I'm taller than this. But it is otherwise accurate.

The first few are pretty easy. Totally can do this thing, but by midway I can tell the last few will be rough and by the end I am straining a bit...


Straining a bit. Think about that. I have never been to war. I have never really feared for my life. All terror has been in a controlled situation. Veterans volunteer to serve and then go to a place where they are often in danger. Where they see their friends die. Where they see civilians in those countries die. Where sometimes they are asked to take life, or even just fail to save life. I don't know strain.

It seems to me that when we send people to war, or to serve, whatever the circumstances, that we are obliged to take care of them when they come home.

For today's share... here are some of the symptoms of PTSD. Whether it is a loved one, acquaintance or stranger with whom you are interacting for the first time, these may be signs of a deeper story—a trauma that they need help with.

From: http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/basics/symptoms_of_ptsd.asp

1.Reliving the situation (via nightmare or flashback, often triggered by something that reminds them of the original trauma—critical as the 4th of July approaches—be aware of your neighbors and anyone who might be sensitive to explosions)
2.Avoiding situations that remind them of the event (crowds or noise are common, particular vehicles, building layouts, movies)
3.Negative changes in beliefs or feelings (whether regarding the world in general, futility of things, relationships)
4.Feeling keyed up (hyper arousal): difficulty sleeping, trouble concentrating, hyper-awareness/fear about environment (needing to sit with back to the wall)

For more detail, check out the link.