Do you ever think about when you won't be here ?

I've thought of it a lot actually. Two incidents, one during my years on active duty and one during the subsequent years with the DoD, forced me to confront our mortality. The details of the incidents themselves aren't important, but I've shared them with a few people here. After both incidents there were people who never stood again.

There, but for the grace of God, go I ...

I've come to the realization that, for all of us, life is about today. We need to treat every single human interaction as if it may be our last. A stranger on the street ... the barrister who messed up your order ... the server who left you sitting there ... We are all just people struggling to get through another day. I don't care you skin color, your gender, your biology, your culture, your faith ... You are a person and from me you will receive respect and love because we might not be here tomorrow.