I began this day as normal. I woke up around four o'clock, got up and showered, and then headed downstairs to flip on my computer and go to the Internet for the daily news and events. I usually spend about an hour catching up on what's going on before I head off to work. It's during that time that I will usually visit my blog, see if there are any new comments to anything I've written, and begin writing any new entries I have in mind. This morning, I was in for a nice surprise. When I arrived at the main page for the Townhall Blogs, I saw one of my own blog entries as the featured blog for the day. That was great, but nothing compared to when I scrolled the page down a bit and discovered that my blog, Fountain Abbey, had made it to the top ten list.
I was completely floored. Making the top ten was a goal of mine, but I had no idea I was anywhere close to reaching it. Seeing Fountain Abbey listed as #7 on the list was quite a pleasant surprise.
I owe a big Thank You to all my readers, for I could not have achieved this without your interest and support. The comments many of you have made to my blog were encouraging and not only did they inspire me to keep writing, they also served to inspire me with new ideas for topics to write about. There is another big Thank You I would like to express, but first I'm going to tell you a story.
I enlisted into the Army's delayed entry program in 1985, the summer before my senior year of high school, and in June of 1986, I went to Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. That experience was one of the most powerful I've had in my life, and though most of those people I have never seen since, I have never forgotten them. First and foremost in my memory is my Drill Sergeant, SSGT Mitchell. Mitchell was completely bald and stood about 5'5", almost four inches shorter than me, but he was not someone you wanted to mess with. He had attitude and was tough and had a look that, if fixed on you, would snap you to attention with no hesitation. Those of you with military experience will know what I'm talking about, as I'm sure you've encountered similar people in your military service. Of course, you minded your p's and q's around all the drill sergeants, but Mitchell, though shorter in stature, towered above the rest in fearsomeness and attitude.
Anyway, there was one day that is burned in my memory and that I think about often, and that is the day we first went through the obstacle course. There were many different things we had to do while there, but what I remember was the ladder. The ladder was a huge ladder wherein each rung was basically a log and as you ascended it, the space between each "rung" grew greater. I watched many go up before me, and when it came time for me to do the deed, I stopped and looked up and froze. I had a great fear of heights, and looking straight up the ladder to the top did not give me any measure of confidence. I have no idea now just how tall the damn thing was, but back then, as I looked up with fear, I would have sworn it was at least one hundred feet tall. Drill Sergeant Mitchell was up near the top, and as I stood there, he yelled down at me to "move my butt."
"I can't do it, Drill Sergeant," I said in response.
"Get your butt up here," he yelled. I automatically reached up to start climbing and then I dropped my hands and stepped back and looked up at Mitchell.
"I can't do it. I'm scared of heights, Drill Sergeant," I told him. The other trainees behind me started yelling and trying to cheer me on, but it was no use. I was frozen with fear, and there was no way I was going up that damn ladder.
"Damn it, private, get up here," he yelled down at me. Everyone behind me was trying to encourage me with shouts of "Go on man" and "You can do it", but all I knew was that ladder appeared fearsomely high and I knew I was going to plummet to my death if I went up. I said nothing else; I just stood there looking up, hoping that I would be let off the hook and allowed to go around the ladder to whatever the next challenge was.
"Damn it," Mitchell roared, and then began climbing down. "You better be climbing before I get down there, or I will kick your butt so hard you'll crap kiwi for a week," he called out. Watching the Drill Sergeant descend toward me cleared my mind of everything except the fear of what would happen should he reach me and I were still on the ground. I stepped onto the bottom rung, reached up and pulled myself up to the next one. Mitchell stopped descending and stood waiting about halfway up. All the other trainees began cheering me on, and Mitchell occasionally shouted at me, and after a little bit, I found myself standing next to the Drill Sergeant.
"Alright, hero," Mitchell said. "You got three rungs to go and then you can go down." Those last three rungs were the hardest of all, for the distance between each rung was almost six foot. The climber basically had to grab the next rung, pull up to it, get on it, and then carefully balance and stand up to grab the next one. To this day, I don't know how I did it, as scared of heights as I was and still am, to a degree, but I finally reached the end point and Mitchell indicated to me that I could climb back down. I did so, holding onto each rung as tightly as possible, and finally reached the bottom. I turned and began running toward the next station, but I got no more than a few feet when the Drill Sergeant roared out my name. I stopped and turned around and looked up at Mitchell. He said nothing; he just extended his left arm toward me and gave me a thumbs-up. Then he turned back to watch the next trainee begin climbing.
Though there were many other challenges I faced and passed in Basic Training, that one always stood in my mind as my greatest accomplishment, for it involved conquering my strongest fear. It was my proudest achievement, and I have never forgotten looking up at Drill Sergeant Mitchell and watching him give me the thumbs-up. There are few other achievements that made me feel as good.
What does that story have to do with my blog? I'll tell you. Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of being a writer. However, as I grew up, I got involved in many different things, and though I wrote a lot on my own, I never did anything with my work. In the last year or two, I finally realized that part of my hesitation was out of fear of rejection. I came to the understanding that by not submitting my stuff, I was able to hold onto a fantasy. Rejection slips would have shattered that dream. I swore that I would not let that hinder me anymore. Thus, I began submitting my work. I have received rejection slips, but they have not deterred me. This blog, for me, is a step up the ladder. Seeing Fountain Abbey listed in the top ten at Townhall is very encouraging for me and gives me hope that I will be a successful writer eventually. Will I make it to the top? I don't know, but I am going to give it my best.
I will finish this entry by saying thanks to Drill Sergeant Mitchell, for helping a kid overcome his fear and climb the ladder. You helped me become a man that day.