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Magical Moment 42, "An Air Defense Coincidence"

Things like grocery shopping, laundry, and eating are big disruptions of my day. I complete them in as little time possible so that I can get back to finishing whatever outlandish goal I’ve set for myself that day. They’re all distractions until I can get back to my real life of music.

It’s like my last year in the Army when I really began to set my sights on a music career. Instead of eating at lunch, I would run to my car and speed all the way home. Once I was home, I would spend 20 minutes or so frantically recording one of my songs, then get in the car and speed all the way back to work. Later I would grab some chips and a soda out of the vending machine. Since I’ve moved here, I’ve basically had a one-track mind. Everything that’s not music related is a distraction, even a hindrance.

I tore through the grocery store the other day, stalking up on bare essentials (Lean Cuisines, cereal, and eggs) so I wouldn’t have to come back to that awful place for as long as possible. At the check out, I hung all the filled plastic bags up and down my arms so I wouldn’t have to waste time taking a cart back inside. As I sped walked to my car, out of my left ear, I heard the words “Air Defense Artillery.” That happened to be my branch in the Army. In fact, I was the first female ADA officer to ever be stationed at Fort Bragg, NC in 3-4 ADA. So I stopped dead in my tracks and turned towards the man who said it. He was wearing a Vet baseball cap and talking to another older woman. “I was Air Defense too!” I said, accidently interrupting the lady out of disbelief and excitement. He looked at me in surprise. And as if we were old Army buddies, we began to swap our stories.

And although the plastic bag with the gallon of milk was nearly breaking my fingers off, and although I might not finish my goal of recording a promotional video to put on my sellaband website, I stood there and talked with him for a long time. And I enjoyed it. Sometimes a one-track mind needs a distraction and sometimes the smallest coincidences can be the appreciated the most.
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Debbie said…
Wow, God sometimes lets us know that we need to slow down and remember something wonderful that has happened or someone might need a kind word and I think he just might have been speaking to you that day.
March 25, 2010 at 7:55 PM
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