Most people all of us meet whereas tenting find yourself being single serving associates. Those who we work together with for a second in time, after which by no means cross paths once more. Generally, these single serving associates and a recreation of dominoes can change your life.
Greg, Greg Sr. and Uncle Larry pulled into the campground on Thursday as Loretta and I had been strolling the canine and got here previous their web site. We mentioned hello to the brand new neighbors like we all the time do and talked a couple of minutes concerning the cause they had been on the town for a number of days. We exchanged all the identical pleasantries we all the time do, not anticipating the straightforward act of claiming hello to the brand new neighbors to have the affect it did on our lives that day.
Now I’m not going to inform you why they’re on the town, but. As a result of as essential as that’s, it’s essential to me that you simply get to know Greg, which can enable you to perceive the mission he’s on. We introduced the canine again to our web site and allow them to end getting arrange on theirs, and parted methods.
Later that evening Loretta and I had been taking a stroll and got here previous Greg’s web site the place we noticed Greg, Greg Sr., Uncle Larry and our different neighbor Corey sitting on the picnic desk taking part in a recreation of dominoes. I’ve by no means performed the sport earlier than however I all the time needed to study so we requested if we may watch them play and had been warmly welcomed to tug up a chair and hang around for the evening.
Dominoes
We spent the remainder of the evening studying methods to play, seeing how nicely we picked up on the technique of the sport, and laughing as if we had all recognized one another perpetually. We sat and talked all evening, mixing classes on methods to play the sport with the usual The place are you from and the place are you headed conversations that come together with RV Dwelling. In speaking with Greg you possibly can really feel the real curiosity within the dialog and the human connection, not simply the standard change of pleasantries in a brand new single serving social circle.
When sharing tales with Greg you possibly can hear the joy he has for assembly new folks alongside his journey and also you come to grasp why he’s passionate that day-after-day is a present. He shared the story about his second in time that began him on this journey.
I’m not going to inform it, as a result of it’s not my story to inform. Listening to his story pulled at our coronary heart strings and hit very near dwelling for Loretta and I and we really feel blessed to have heard it and to have met Greg on such a private stage.
Loretta and I had been in a position to share a narrative with Greg and relate why what he’s doing is as essential to us as it’s to him. Our story isn’t going to be shared right here both, possibly over a beer round a campfire one evening, however most likely not.
It was late within the evening at this level and we had been all on the brink of flip in for the evening, however earlier than parting methods Greg mentioned “Hey why don’t you guys come stroll with me tomorrow”, and we couldn’t be happier that he did. Greg can have walked over 1700 miles via 25 main cities to assist unfold his message and heat the hearts of the folks he meets alongside the best way.
Hit The Bricks
Friday morning we jumped within the truck and drove out to Philadelphia to #WalkWithGreg. We met up on the Liberty Bell as our start line for the day and had been joined by an excellent group of people that had been additionally trying to assist Greg in mission and be part of the workforce. We met up with Evan, Angelo, Chris, Elizabeth and Matt who had been all West Level Alumni. It was actually an honor to have spent a while with everybody we met that day.
We set out via town of cohesion on a day the place the temperature can be within the 90’s with 90% humidity, so Greg Sr and Uncle Larry following behind us with the truck and coolers filled with water was an absolute blessing. We had been solely in a position to push via 6 of Gregs 1700 miles with him earlier than the warmth lastly broke us. Greg didn’t get again to the campground till a number of hours after us as he, Elizabeth and Evan saved on pushing via the warmth and exhaustion.
Greg is on a mission to attempt to finish veteran suicide. Now I do know it’s possible you’ll be pondering that strolling throughout half the nation isn’t going to vary something. That act in it self most likely gained’t, however it’s the message that Greg is carrying with him that will.
You’ll see a person on a mission and should you occur to be fortunate sufficient to cease and chat with him, or run into him at certainly one of his talking engagements you’ll learn the way he’s making a distinction.
By now we now have all seen the 22 push up problem, which has carried out an excellent deal to boost consciousness for this unlucky state of affairs the place our service members really feel a lot despair that they really feel suicide is the one reply. Greg has a brand new problem that’s altering the sport.
Battle Buddy Problem
The Battle Buddy Problem is an easy one that every one of us can do for anybody we all know whether or not they’re a veteran or not. The Battle Buddy Problem solely requires a little bit little bit of empathy. The identical empathy that we as a society appear to be shedding by shedding that human connection as a result of we now have lowered our interactions with family and friends to simply clicking the like button.
All of us have that buddy, or member of the family that we all know could also be having a tricky time with issues in some unspecified time in the future of their life. The Battle Buddy Problem is Greg difficult you to be a great human. Even when it isn’t somebody it’s possible you’ll be shut too, decide up the cellphone and provides them a name. About something. It doesn’t have to be concerning the “problem” they’re having. It doesn’t require you to have a level in psychology. It simply requires you to achieve out and say Hello.
Greg’s ardour for his problem is infectious. Simply listening to him discuss it fills you with an lively felling that you simply gained’t be capable to describe. It’s one thing all of us can do, and may do. This previous 12 months ought to have been a lesson for us all that lacking that human connection has an impact on us.
Don’t ship a textual content or an electronic mail, decide up the cellphone and name.
Hear every others voices. Hear every others laughter. That actual connection has an impact on our feelings and the straightforward truth of figuring out somebody was pondering of you and needed to listen to your voice can change your day.
I used to listen to from my brother in legislation virtually each day. I didn’t notice how essential that was to me till it by no means occurred once more. The times main as much as his funeral had been very tough for me, not simply because I used to be going to certainly one of my greatest associates funerals, however as a result of I couldn’t even bear in mind what we talked about that final time he referred to as. I spent a number of days locked within the jail of my very own thoughts combating that.
Make The Name
It wasn’t till we had been sitting with our household at his providers that it lastly dawned on me. We didn’t speak about something. The identical nothing we talked about virtually day-after-day. We talked about how the truck had a flat tire, and the way certainly one of his daughters jumped her bike on the largest ramp ever, and the way my son was driving me loopy this week as a result of he’s similar to Me after we had been his age.
You see its the nothing that we speak about that connects us greater than the massive stuff generally. Simply bullshittin together with your buddy. That human connection.
Jason was good at making the connection. He referred to as me 99% of the time. I by no means needed to name him, as a result of it was virtually a assure that my cellphone would ring in some unspecified time in the future and it will be him. It’s been 2 years since we hung up the cellphone for the final time and day-after-day I lengthy for the cellphone to ring along with his voice on the opposite facet of the decision. I typically surprise if issues would have been completely different if I had picked up the cellphone and referred to as him for a change. I’ll by no means know, and I’ll by no means be happy with that.
If you happen to settle for Greg’s Battle Buddy Problem, it’s possible you’ll by no means need to be in my sneakers, or Gregs.
Make the decision.
Don’t overlook to say hello to your neighbors in your subsequent tenting journey, these single serving associates may simply change your life.
