As an entrepreneur, I have two branches of my business that I manage. The first is related to the Army and the second is related to writing.
I sometimes find it hard to go back and forth between the military world and the writing world. I have accounts for each on several different social media networking sites and get to see a stream of consciousness for both sides.
On the military side, there are people posting about the Veteran suicide rate, yet another soldier who is returning home in a flag draped coffin or going through birth alone because their soldier was at war. It is sobering for sure. Now, not all of their posts are so sad and morbid, but they are definitely sprinkled in there.
On the writing side, I see way too many people proclaiming to be an expert on this topic or that subject and they post about normal, every day life. They complain because Starbucks didn’t have their favorite coffee this morning or their internet connection was out for a few minutes when they first sat down to work.
At times, I wish those in the writing world could see and understand how simple their issues are compared to what some in the military world are dealing with on a daily basis. That’s not to say that everyone in the writing world leads a carefree life without any stressors. Not at all. But seeing someone post about meeting their soldier at a plane in Dover instead of at his home duty station with a big smile on his face makes missing that cup of coffee that ruined your morning not so big of a deal.
On the other hand, I also wish that those who are dealing with all of the issues surrounding the military on the daily basis could just live in the here and now like those in the writing world seem to do. I wish they could be in a place where their internet being down for a few minutes was the biggest concern of their day. I wish they could lay their worries to the side and just enjoy their days.
As I bounce back and forth between the two, I sometimes find myself getting irritated at the lack of understanding and empathy that is shown towards those in the military lifestyle who endure so much. But then I have to remind myself that those two worlds are on different feeds. I’m one of the few that sees them both. My military world doesn’t understand my writing world any more than my writing world understands my military world.
And that’s okay. I like being a part of both.
My military world reminds me to be thankful for what I have, to cherish every moment we are given and to support those who are in need. While my writing world reminds me of the limitless possibilities that exist, that going after your dreams is possible (and encouraged) and that success can be yours if you are willing to work for it.
Yes, I think I like living in two worlds. It’s the perfect combination for me.
