What's the point?

A few weeks ago, in our Monday night group, we were discussing the topic of mindfulness. A veteran in the group posed the question, “What’s the point?”

I fumbled for an answer that was authentic, honest, or even satisfying. The question hit deeper than I expected and I’ve been wrestling with it ever since.

Now, after weeks of reflecting, digging, and attempting to excavate the roots of my discomfort with this question, here’s where I’ve landed:

The mission is the point.

From the mission, community, camaraderie, purpose, direction, resilience, leadership- are all birthed- and these are the very things that the scaffolding of a life lived well are built from.

Stay with me for a moment while I get a little personal.

I was brought up in a home where excuses and avoidance were the norm. Safety was absent in the place I called home. I never felt a since of purpose or pride- only a since of hatred for the hand of cards I’d been dealt. Waking up was mental warfare. I showed up at school smelling like cigarettes and animal urine, making it hard to focus or make friends. My only mission was to just get through the day.

I eventually dropped out of school. Married at 19 and divorced at 24. I had nothing to show for my time other than debt, religious trauma, and an addiction that kept the rest of my demons at bay.

Still, no mission, other than to survive and find somewhere to start over.

It wasn’t until years later when I became pregnant that I felt purpose for the first time. That fueled me like nothing else ever had up until that point. The responsibility of a mission to leave the world a better place for her- to become someone she would be proud of and could count on, to heal and be the person I always needed but never had.

Fast forward- motherhood is no longer my only mission. I’ve found many others to be a part of- and THAT’S THE POINT.

When someone asks me- “Why veterans? Why is that the career path you chose?”

My answer will always be- Because I’ve never met another demographic of people that commit to the mission quite like a veteran does. It doesn’t matter what the mission is- it'll be successful if you have two or more veterans on your team. Veterans, more than any other demographic, know the importance of a mission- and the strength that's forged in a mission- and its through lived experience.  And that… That’s the point.

I’m dedicated to connecting veterans on the mission to live well. I know personally how important a mission is. I know firsthand that the mission saves lives.

I know that the community birthed from the mission is more resilient than the spartan army and their phalanx formation, more disciplined than the Mongol Warriors under Ghenghis Khan and the Roman Legions combined, more present and persistent than the Samurai warriors and their zazen tea ceremonies.

This mission is the most effective weapon in the wars not fought on battlefields.  That’s the fucking point!