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So, at this moment, I should be working on my dissertation, but instead I am distracted by a few things. First and foremost, I am distracted by my 10-year-old dog who is currently chipmunk hunting in my backyard. She is not the type of dog that will normally stay outside for no reason, but today, she has been outside more than inside. She is standing vigil by the shed just waiting for an appearance by the chipmunk. She comes in briefly, presumably to rest, and then she goes right back outside. For her sake, I hope that she has a sighting and all of this not for nothing.

What else is distracting me today you ask, well it may seem superficial, but I am distracted by thinking of all of the events that have been either cancelled or postponed to later this year. I am thinking of those events because each one of them supports either first responders, active military, veterans, and/or their families. The first event to get cancelled was the Bataan Memorial Death March (BMDM), which was supposed to occur March 15, 2020 in New Mexico. From the BMDM website, “The Bataan Memorial Death March is a challenging march through the high desert terrain of the White Sands Missile Range. The memorial march is conducted in honor of the heroic service members who defended the Philippine Islands during World War II, sacrificing their freedom, health, and, in many cases, their very lives.” This was going to be a challenge for me as I was going to be attacking the course alone, but I knew that I would not be truly alone as there was scheduled to be thousands of people participating. The date for 2021 has been released (March 21, 2021), maybe I will be in NM next March.

The second event of my “season” was postponed and that event is Tough Ruck. I am happy that this event was postponed and not cancelled. Tough Ruck is a 26.2 mile event where participants wear weighted rucks and it is done in memory of fallen heroes. According to the Tough Ruck website, “We Tough Ruck for those who cannot. It is an honor for Ruckers to wear the name of a Fallen Hero on their Ruck Sack and carry that name 26.2 miles and across the finish line. Yellow Ribbons will represent Fallen Service Members, Blue Ribbons will represent Fallen Police Officers, Red Ribbons will represent Fallen Firefighters, and White Ribbons will represent Fallen EMS.” This year will be my second year participating in this event. The first year did not go as planned, but this year is my year. Compared to what our first responders and service members must endure day in and day out, walking 26.2 miles with a weighted ruck is nothing.

The other events that are on my calendar that have been either postponed or converted to a virtual event consist of 5ks, rucks, stair climbs, etc. The events include Boston’s Run to Remember (converted to virtual 5 mile – anytime before September 11, 2020); Ruck to Remember (virtual ruck May 25, 2020); Mission 22 Virtual Ruck for Hope (virtual ruck May 30, 2020); 22 Too Many 5k (virtual June 6, 2020); Sabine Strong 3.3 (postponed until August 30, 2020); Stairs4RTroops (postponed until October 4, 2020); and Run for the Troops 5k (postponed until November 15, 2020).

I guess that I am thinking about these events because the people these organizations support do not get to postpone or cancel their work or their duties because of what is happening. I am happy that many of the events will still occur, be it later in the year or now virtually as we need to continue to support those who are on the front line and let them know that we are thankful for their dedication and protection.

THANK YOU TO ALL FIRST RESPONDERS AND ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL – YOU ARE WORTH YOUR WEIGHT IN GOLD!!!