{"id":2411,"date":"2020-08-18T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=2411"},"modified":"2021-10-15T12:38:32","modified_gmt":"2021-10-15T16:38:32","slug":"44-when-life-hands-you-lemons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/44-when-life-hands-you-lemons\/","title":{"rendered":"#44 \u2013 When Life Hands You Lemons\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Who said, \u201cIf you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you must look forward, do so prayerfully. However, the wisest thing you can do is to be present in the present\u2026 gratefully.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>
  2. In what movie (and who said it), did we hear, \u201cI’m tired, boss. Mostly I’m tired of people being ugly to each other.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>
  3. In what song (and who sang it), do we hear the following lyrics?
    When I think of all the worries<\/em>
    People seem to find<\/em>
    And how they’re in a hurry<\/em>

    To complicate their minds<\/em>
    By chasing after money<\/em>
    And dreams that can’t come true<\/em>
    I’m glad that we are different<\/em>

    We’ve better things to do<\/em>
    May others plan their future<\/em>
    I’m busy loving you<\/em>
    (One, two, three, four!)<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n
    <\/div>
    Blog #44 (Audio)<\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>

    Listen to the audio of this blog, read by Andy Adkins. Click the \u201cAudio<\/strong><\/em>\u201d button below.<\/p>\n<\/div>

    Published: <\/span>October 15, 2021<\/span><\/div>
    <\/div>Audio by Andy Adkins<\/a><\/div><\/form><\/span>0<\/span> Downloads<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    Let\u2019s face it, we\u2019ve all been handed a lemon or two during our lifetime. And I\u2019m not just talking about the fruit. While I’d heard (& used) this expression for years, I had to research its origination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Professor Google<\/em> reports it was first used by Elbert Hubbard in 1915: “He picked up the lemons that Fate had sent him and started a lemonade stand.<\/em>” But many people attribute the expression to Dale Carnegie in 1948: “If You Have a Lemon, Make Lemonade.<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The theory behind \u201cmaking lemonade\u201d is to encourage optimism and a positive, \u201ccan-do\u201d attitude in the face of adversity or misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Being a Navy veteran, we have a different term we use to describe trying to make something unpleasant seem more appealing than it really is, but it often becomes a futile effort. Before I get to the \u201cNavy term,\u201d let me share a few times when I felt the need to \u201cpolish<\/em> a lemon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Making Lemonade in Guam<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    My first duty station after ABH (Aviation Boatswain\u2019s Mate-Handler) \u201cA\u201d school<\/em><\/strong><\/a> in Lakehurst, NJ was NAS Agana, Guam<\/em><\/strong>. Not that Guam handed me many lemons, but there were times when things could\u2019ve been better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My job in Guam was simple: wait for aircraft to crash, then put out the fire and rescue people. Hence the name of our division, \u201cCrash & Rescue<\/strong>.\u201d For the 15 months I was stationed on Guam, we worked 24 hours on and 24 hours off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When I first arrived, our shift change was at 11:30 a.m. That only allowed us a half day of fun in the sun. We petitioned (or whatever you call it in the Navy) to have the shift change at 0800, which was much better all-around for everyone. The Crash Commanding Officer, Bos\u2019n Joye<\/strong>, approved our request, giving us a full day of sun on our time off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Driving Crash Trucks<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Our normal workday in the Crash Barn was 0800\u20131600; after that, we had \u201choliday routine.\u201d We spent a lot of time training, both in the class room as well as hot drills (simulated fires).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"NAS<\/a>
    NAS Agana, Guam Crash Crew (1974)
    Glenn Law, John O’Mara, Gary Cuzner (R.I.P.), Andy Adkins
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    But every 24-hour shift, we were assigned to one of five Crash firefighting trucks. Three of them spent two 4-hour shifts out on what we called the “alert spot” or \u201chot spot.\u201d That was a specific area between the two parallel runways, about midfield. This would be the first truck on the scene in the event of an aircraft crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In Guam, the runways served both the Navy and the civilian airport–we had to be prepared for both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There wasn\u2019t a lot to do out on the hot spot and, thank the good Lord, we didn\u2019t have any crashes during my time on the island. We had plenty of aircraft emergencies, though. That\u2019s why we always needed to stay alert, even in the middle of the night. I wrote about That Adrenaline Rush<\/em><\/strong> <\/a>earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It wasn\u2019t the most glamorous job\u2014sitting in a fire truck out in the blistering sun for 4 hours\u2014but we made do. However, the driver had the best job of the 4 or 5 crew members on the truck. I decided early on to \u201cmake lemonade\u201d and learn to drive the Crash trucks\u2014all of them<\/em>. It wasn\u2019t long before I was <\/strong>certified to drive the three different types of Crash trucks plus the 500-gallon tanker (that was a beast, by the way).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Private Pilot? Why Not<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I was only 18 years old when I arrived in Guam in November 1973. After a few months getting accustomed to my new surroundings, I grew tired of frequenting the bars and throwing money away on booze. It was time to find something else to do in my off-duty time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Near the Crash Barn was a flying club, complete with several privately-owned planes (Cessnas & Apaches). Bruce Hallowell<\/strong>, a fellow Crash crew member, took lessons there and talked a lot about flying around the island. I thought, \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After my first $9 \u201cintro\u201d lesson, I was hooked. I learned to fly while stationed in Guam and earned a private pilot license. Costs? In 1974, an hour with a flying instructor, including the plane rental, was $18… total!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    Guam: south, looking north
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    The island of Guam isn\u2019t that big: 4-8 miles wide by 32 miles long. There were a few \u201crestricted\u201d areas where you might be shot down if you flew too close, but those were clearly marked on the map. Besides, there were plenty of other areas where I could fly. Talk about clear, blue water and sandy beaches\u2026 Wow! I even took a few buddies on flights around the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When you\u2019re in the Navy, and I\u2019m sure in almost every branch of military service, it doesn\u2019t take you long to learn \u201cthe Navy way,\u201d and how to work the system. That knowledge of \u201cworking the system\u201d would come in handy throughout my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Making Lemonade on the Carrier<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I had to think about this one for a bit, but there were those times (you know what I\u2019m talking about) when life just didn\u2019t seem all that fun on the flight deck of USS Kitty Hawk<\/em><\/strong>. That didn\u2019t happen often, but when it did, I think we all figured out how to “make lemonade.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I was an ABH (Aviation Boatswain\u2019s Mate-Handler<\/strong>) and worked on the flight deck in V-1 Division<\/strong>, originally assigned to Crash<\/strong>. Later, after the Bremerton Shipyards, I became a Yellow Shirt<\/strong> director. So my viewpoint may be a little different from others who served in the Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I never dove headfirst into grease, like the ABEs in the V-2 Division<\/strong>: they\u2019re the guys who worked the Launch Catapults, the Jet Blast Deflectors, and the Arresting Gear. I don\u2019t think a day went by that they weren\u2019t covered in grease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And I never swam in JP-4 and JP-5 jet fuel, like the ABFs in the V-4 Division<\/strong>: they\u2019re the guys who kept the aircraft fueled day in and day out. V-3 Division<\/strong> (also ABHs) worked the hangar deck, and I\u2019m sure they had their \u201cfun times,\u201d too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    V-5<\/strong>? I\u2019m sure they did something <grin>… but the only time I saw them on deck was when they were escorting the Miss America Tour<\/em> to and from the COD (Carrier on-board Delivery) during Westpac \u201875<\/em><\/strong>. I\u2019m kidding, of course, because we all know they played an important role in air traffic control. They just always<\/em> seemed to stay clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    FOD Walk Downs<\/strong>…
    … or how to keep from having to make lemonade<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    FOD (Foreign Object Damage) walk downs weren\u2019t always fun, but we all knew they were necessary. The squadron maintenance folks certainly appreciated what we did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    FOD Walkdown
    USS Abraham Lincoln<\/em> (CVN-72)
    Photo credit: Don S. Montgomery
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    For those of you who\u2019ve never heard of a FOD walk down<\/strong>, it\u2019s basically a gathering of every able-bodied flight deck member. Before flight operations began, we lined up across the bow, shoulder-to-shoulder, and walk aft down the flight deck toward the stern. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The goal was to look for any object (FOD) that could be sucked up into a jet intake, thus potentially damaging the engine and ruining a perfectly good flying machine. Even a small wing nut can tear up an engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It was also a way to meet up with other shipmates either in another division or squadron and chew the fat. A chance to catch up, so to speak. Or, in some cases, an opportunity to collect the money you won the night before playing an all-night poker game. But I digress\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Making Lemonade in the Shipyards<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I wrote about life in the Bremerton Shipyards<\/strong> in two earlier blogs [Part 1<\/a>, Part 2<\/a>]. While we worked a \u201cnormal\u201d workday, 0730-1700, there wasn\u2019t a lot to do at night in Bremerton. I also knew that the Navy would not be my lifelong career after my 4-year commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My discharge date was July 8, 1977. I \u201cfelt\u201d my attitude change during our time in the shipyards (\u201976-77), I made a conscious decision to take a basic electronics course at the local college, Olympic Community College<\/strong>. That course set my journey for my \u201cprofessional\u201d career(s).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Several of us in V-1 had studied and took the second-class petty officer exam in August while on Westpac ’75. My good friends, Glenn Law<\/strong>, Ed Boes<\/strong>, Gary Borne<\/strong>, and I spent a lot of time studying during the cruise and it paid off… sort of. While we passed the exam, we were all “PNAs” (Passed, but Not Accepted). We didn’t have enough time in service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The four of us also took the second class exam again in February. At the time, one of my duties was the V-1 Division Training Officer (that\u2019s a nice \u201cskate job\u201d while in the shipyards), so there was no excuse to not to study for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In late April \u201976, I learned that I had passed the E-5 exam and would be promoted to a second class petty officer, ABH-2, on June 16, 1976. My salary would now be a whopping $492 a month<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Normally, an E-5 is required to have three years of service before advancement, and I was one month short (I joined in July 1973). But because I had joined the service as an E-2 (Airman Apprentice) with a year of college under my belt (even though I flunked out of college after my first year), the Navy gave me the waiver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I guess that year at FSU (Florida State University<\/strong>) was worth it, even though they asked me to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Current COVID \u2013 Making Lemonade<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve never been shot at in a firefight or under an artillery barrage like some of my WWII and Vietnam veteran friends. I can\u2019t imagine\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But like many of my flight deck shipmates, I\u2019ve been in split-second life & death situations multiple times. And\u2026 a few more while I was a City of Gainesville<\/strong> firefighter after the Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This current COVID crisis, or whatever you want to call it, got me to thinking about the \u201clemonade\u201d I\u2019ve been making since March. We all have our ways of dealing with this situation, but for me, I\u2019ve reached back into my old seabag and retrieved some of my Navy traditions, including how to \u201cpolish this<\/em> turd.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It won\u2019t be this way forever, but I\u2019m assuming it will be around for a while and I’m taking my own precautions to remain safe and healthy. I\u2019ve discovered my \u201cnew normal\u201d isn\u2019t really all that different from my old normal. Of course, I miss spending time with family & friends, but we\u2019ve also learned to adapt to alternative methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My wife and I are both retired, so we don\u2019t feel much the strain and stress many other folks experience. I do not<\/em> take this lightly; I try to help when & where I can, but there\u2019s only so much a fella can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Video Chatting<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    As an example of my new normal, my 8-year-old grandson in California calls me several times a week on a video chat app and we play solitaire (with cards), games, and he shows me things he\u2019s building, and reads stories he\u2019s writing (he\u2019s a writer, too <<wide grin>>). Now and then, his 6-year-old brother joins in on the video chat and plays games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I know they\u2019d rather be with their friends and in their summer activities. But for now, spending a little time with their granddad is, to me, precious. I hope I\u2019m able to help them pass a little time during the day and explore some new ideas from their ol’ Navy granddad. It certainly helps me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Fresh Air & Exercise Do Wonders<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Another example: my wife and I are exercising more; well, I am\u2014she always<\/em> has. We take long (10-25 mile) bike rides around the city once or twice a week, we\u2019re both into Yoga, we walk and swim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The \u201cY\u201d is open, but I\u2019m not ready to go inside to lift weights just yet. We do, however, use their outdoor swimming pool (with reservations), and we swim laps (we\u2019re over \u00bd mile these days).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    All of these outside adventures help us clear our minds of the daily onslaught of [insert your own term here<\/em>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Writing Keeps Me Busy<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m also writing more. I started this weekly blog (A Veteran\u2019s Journey<\/em><\/strong>) last November. I finished writing a book, NEVER FORGET<\/strong>, that\u2019s currently with an editor. Who knows where it will end up, but I certainly enjoy writing and as I tell my wife, it \u201ckeeps me off the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I also blogged a three-part series earlier, \u201cWriting Your Own Memoir.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d Just in case you might want to write about your<\/em> time in the Navy (or Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard), feel free to download the entire 3-part series directly from my website<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It may provide you some guidance (and a distraction) over the next few months. I can guarantee you that writing a short memoir or jotting down your “adventures” will make an impact on both you and your family, and<\/em> generations to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I also have another couple of books I plan to write\u2014but I need to publish NEVER FORGET first (wish me luck!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When I look back on my short <\/em>4-year time in service, the Navy definitely helped me to learn how to \u201caccept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Or in laymen\u2019s terms\u2026 \u201cWhen life hands you lemons, make lemonade.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Stay safe and stay healthy, my friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Until we meet again,<\/em>
    Andy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"NEVER<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (\u201973-77) and the author of several books. His newest novel, NEVER FORGET, is the story of A Vietnam Veteran\u2019s Journey for Redemption & Forgiveness. NEVER FORGET is FREE (eBook, PDF) for all veterans. Download your FREE<\/strong> copy HERE<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Previous posts mentioned in this blog:<\/p>\n\n\n\n