Blitzkrieg. When you think of this word images of german panzers sweeping across Europe during the Second World War come to mind. Or maybe the modern era event during the first Gulf War back in 1991 where Coalition forces devastated Iraqi tank and infantry units including the vaunted Republican Guard during the air and ground phases of Desert Storm.
Well, two weeks ago I had my own personal blitzkrieg when two of my brothers, Mister Dallas and Mister Fort Lauderdale, flew into Philadelphia to jumpstart in a VERY SERIOUS way my life.
A little backtracking is in order at this point. Very early in February of this year I was extremely and totally infected with some sort of flu-like bug. I say “flu-like” because I did have a flu shot back in October of last year. My thinking was that I had something other than this flu season’s strain of the flu.
Am I being redundant with the word “flu”? Yeah, so get over it.
I have no memory of it but apparently while sick I had a phone conversation with Mister Dallas. The aforementioned Mister Dallas was alarmed at how I sounded.
Here’s a news flash Mister Dallas: I was alarmed. I hadn’t been that sick in probably ten years.
Back to le histoire of this little story. That’s a little french lingo for you Mister Dallas.
After the phone conversation with me Mister Dallas Cowboy Butt-Boy Fan called our brother Mister Fort Lauderdale and forged an Let’s Help Mister Levittown Alliance and planned an assault of brotherly proportions on the circumstances of my life.
Along with being temporarily felled by illness I’ve also been beaten down by certain events and situations in my life where I can see where people (read that to be family and friends) who would think that maybe some sort of intervention was in order.
For several years, I have to admit, I have been drifting. No particular direction, no plan, barely any thought about the course of my life, nothing. Inaction was my action. Frankly, I was just too fearful of failure to do anything.
I’ve had friends talk to me about this aspect of my life and they’ve been exasperated by my inaction. So have I. Depression and fear are very strong enemies.
I am fighting back.
By the way, “several years” means about 30 years. Ever since I moved back to Pennsylvania. Yeah, I know that really sounds pathetic. Anyway…….
The blitzkrieg was launched against ………how can I phrase this? My apartment had become a home to dust, dirt, clutter and packrat debris……………the mess that had become my home.
Mister Dallas brought heavy guns to bear immediately after entering my apartment. Just before arriving home from the airport we had stopped to pick up commercial grade cleaning supplies.
The ferocity of his assault against the dirt was impressive. It was also humbling. For here was a man who had in his heart the desire to stop what he was doing at his home in Texas and fly here to Pennsylvania to help me in my time of need that at the time I didn’t even think I was in.
Yes, it was humbling. And he wasn’t alone. Mister Fort Lauderdale did the same thing. His mission was to help me determine what I should do in the short term (next three months) and my church involvement (waaaay longer than three months). All this activity in hopes to get me back on a good track.
Since I was laid off from my job in New Jersey last August I had become very complacent about my future prospects. I did the usual thing and applied for unemployment benefits. I was very fortunate that I was to recieve severence pay from my now former employer.
With money coming in from two different sources, albeit for a very short time, I became extraordinarily lazy. I would wake up with a mental list of things to do and some little thing would derail me and I would then do nothing.
I’m sorry that last sentence was and is incorrect. I would end up on the couch and would alternately watch tv and sleep the day away. Watching tv and sleeping during the day ARE activities just not positive ones . Trust me I do know that this course of action is not exactly conducive to having money to maintain a roof over my head that just might be more substantial than cardboard .
This went on for the rest of 2008 and well into 2009.
My brothers pretty much knew this and more about me for some time. I think with me being very sick and they both knowing that my unemployment benefits running out that time for extreme action was fast approaching.
I come back to the word “blitzkrieg”. As in any endeavour my brothers had a plan. They implemented their respective plans and I was sufficiently overwhelmed.
My complacency was trampled under the treads of their “tanks”. I still deal with varying levels of fear. And I mean very lower case fear. And depression is still somewhat in the mix but not overwhelmingly so.
My surroundings are now so much cleaner and organized. Not completely clean and not completely organized but a helluva lot better than it was before.
I purposed in my heart to honor the efforts of my brothers and do my best to keep up with cleaning and organizing my home and my life.
Well, I could probably go on and on about all this but I’m wordy enough already so I think I should just put this entry to bed.
In conclusion I say in a darkly humorous way: blitzkrieg, it’s not just for breakfast anymore.
In a more serious vein: blitzkrieg, who knew that it could be an act of love?
