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Where I do I fit in? Part II

Name: Jack Merica
Email: jmerica@uswest.net
Date: 25 Aug 2000
Time: 06:00:00

Story

Upon further reflection, I have the following to share.

The first trip I took with Mike Todd was in January of 1976. Mike was a Vietnam veteran. A former U.S. Navy S.E.A.L. with a pound of plastic where his right knee used to be. Mike taught a course in wildlife appreciation and situational survival at the high school I was attending in Arizona. Mike took a group of us to the Tonto National Forest, north of Phoenix.

The trip was a fairly uneventful exercise in primitive camping. I found that I had brought too much gear. My tent went unused as the weather was mild and we slept under the stars. I could have made do with the clothes on my back, my jacket and a couple of pairs of socks. I didn't need three-quarters of the stuff I'd brought. My first lesson had been learned. Pack light, use what you have and use your rucksack for food.

I pulled my weight and kept up with the other teens on the trip. Mike accepted me into his class. I was eager to learn. I learned to put together a fire and light it with one match; later I would learn to make fire with flint and steel. I learned to layer my clothes to prevent hypothermia. I learned to fish with a hand line and to tie good, strong knots. Mike taught me to rely on my senses and encouraged my free thought when it came to problem solving. I got no slack for my disability. I learned to open cans with a GI P-38 can opener. When I said, "I can't do this," I was told I wasn't hungry enough yet. When I got hungry, I opened that can.

As I became proficient with my survival skills, I became cocky (I'm still cocky J). I knew there wasn't anything I couldn't do or an obstacle that I couldn't overcome. Somewhere during this journey, I became hard. I'd lost the softness of childhood and started learning about life and living. Mike was tempering me like a piece of steel. He helped me to find and tap my inner strength.

The lessons I learned in the wild I brought back to the city. I learned to do for myself while working together with a team. I learned that, while it is infinitely self-gratifying to do for myself, that it is okay to ask for help but never to expect help. In my world, the expectation of help was a weakness; to survive I must rely on myself. If I received help along the way, then that was gravy.

As I look back on these and other experiences, I realize that they shaped the man that I am today. My best friend tells me that I'm brutally honest. I'm ruthless in my climb up the corporate ladder. I don't expect slack to be cut for me; conversely I rarely cut anyone any slack. I'm not embarrassed to ask for help. If asked for help I give it -- that's polite. I walk my talk.

I had previously been wondering where I fit in. I'm not wondering anymore. I've carved my own notch.

Copyright © 2000 Jack Merica. All rights reserved.

GIsEpwLPNTP

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