Blogtober Writing Challenge: Gloomy
Putting MRP skills to use
In March 2021, I participated in the Motorcycle Relief Project’s Relief Ride #41. MRP provides therapeutic rides for veterans and first responders battling PTSD and other invisible wounds.
At the end of every day, participants recount a high and a low from that day’s ride. Sometimes the highs are mastering skills or celebrating new relationships. The lows can be mistakes on the road or traumatic events stemming from our time in the service. The exercise is a reminder that while our pain is real, gratitude is always an option.
One of the mantras of MRP is SOFNGR8FL, as in “so f&@#$ing grateful.”
(Remember these are military bikers. Don’t let that F-bomb distract you from the critical concept being expressed.)
Every high is an invitation to be SOFNGR8FL.
Living through a gloomy season
It is a dictum that I have tried to live by ever since. Some days it works. Some days it isn’t quite enough, but it is a reminder that gratitude is always an option, no matter how gloomy things might look at any given moment.
Gloomy describes my emotions at the moment. Watching my dad decline and then eventually pass away against the backdrop of the pandemic, probable end of my Air Force career, and political dysfunction of our country is the low I would share if I were sitting at the MRP table right now.
My goal for Mark Sander’s Blogtober 2022 challenge is to acknowledge my lows, celebrate my highs, and remind myself that no matter how gloomy it looks, we can always be SOFNGR8FL.
