Have you ever been asked or told to do something you didn't want to do? This past week I have found myself in that predicament. Bitter pills come in all shapes and sizes. Like some of the more common infomercials, the side affects can be worse than the reason you had to take the pill in the first place. Sometimes the pill leaves a taste in your mouth you can or can't get rid of and sometimes it changes your life permanently. Sometimes you need to reflect, pause and realize it ain't about a thing.
I remember the last time I was with Dennis F Harley, SMC U.S.Navy; we were on Fort Story Army Base in Virginia. Dennis was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and dieing. I saw one of the toughest men I have ever known, standing before me in his last days. Dennis had cooked a big pot of chili. He pulled me off to the side and had me go and buy a bottle of Tabasco sauce and a case of Budweiser. He could barely eat at all and definitely not spicy food. He couldn't drink beer either. I don't remember ever seeing Dennis without a beer in his hand, let alone ever seen him eat anything without loads of pepper or hot sauce. He asked me to eat it and drink for him. It's the kind of thing you don't ask a stranger to do. Not being much of a hot sauce guy, I poured it on. As for drinking beer, yeah I loved my beer, but the ice cold beers on any other day would have been prized, each one tasting better than the last. Pregnant women that joke about eating for two, miss this feeling by a mile. The beer suddenly tasted different and the hot chili never sat well, but the whole time, I was eating and drinking for two. Disputably a bitter sweet pill, but bitter none the less. Snapping the top of a can of Bud or picking up a bottle of Tabasco has never gone back to what it was.
I did the same for a former Marine pal of mine, Godfrey. Godfrey was dying of a failed liver and oh how I remember sitting on his porch drinking Old Milwaukee for him. I had a family waiting at home for me and he asked me to drink one more. Suddenly, drinking for 2 takes on a whole different look. Bitter? Yes, but duty calls.
Some pills seem larger. In 1989, a special forces band rolled toward Patilla airfield in Panama City.The U.S. was hunting Noriega and the team was tasked with disabling his personal jet and keeping him from escaping. What was supposed to be a slam dunk, ended up being the worst debacle in the history of special forces. Imagine getting intelligence days before the invasion and approaching your commanders with specific intelligence indicating the hanger was guarded not by armature security guards but by highly trained troops. Imagine commanders rejecting the need for a redesigned plan. The plan was already approved at the highest level. Can you imagine being told to move ahead and get 'er done? The bitter taste of that pill could never go away.
Perspective is a tool you need to keep close at hand. If you live long enough and pay attention,it's a tool you will get to use over and over. Sometime the best thing about a bad thing is that your new bad thing really ain't that bad. Remember that somewhere someone is probably getting a bigger, badder, bitter pill than you. Pick your battles and take your medicine. Perspective.
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