It’s as if there is a cosmic overlord that dispenses his minions to do his bidding in a manner that demoralizes the wounded, confuses the grieving and ensnares the greatest number of casualties. Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to insure that your minion meets the same fate as those that have already been defeated.

With my minion at bay, now is the time to enjoy the fruits of my labor. My family asleep but with fingers stiff, I am writing to encourage you to press on. Victory over the minion that was assigned to you may not come in the form that you wish, but it will come. With each kind word, pleasant smile and glimmer of hope, you have earned the right to declare a victory of your own.

I have come to accept that I will always have at least one nemesis to contend with that seeks to become my overlord, that being PD, but he has many minions at his disposal. Each a nuisance in their own right, but when unified, they are a force to be reckoned with; unchallenged they will prevail.

The ultimate goal of an overlord will alway be to crush the spirits of as many as possible. He is looking for company in his misery. Unable to fight the battles he has waged on all fronts, he will dispatch his surrogates, minions to do his bidding. If they win, he claims their victory as his own; if they lose, they will exiled to the casting lots reserved for Hollywood’s film-makers.

In reference to Tzu, the key to victory is to be prepared for the enemy’s arrival. “The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable”.

The attack will come, it’s just a matter of time. Are you ready?

Today, focus on the battles that are before. Conserve your energy by only fighting the battles today that are before you today; the battles that are placed before you tomorrow, fight tomorrow.

Step away from the busy crowds, the hustle and bustle, the constant barrage of stimuli to gather your thoughts will keep the anxiety that accompanies your minion at bay. Those few minutes away from the noise and commotion to pray, to reflect or just to breath Those brief moments will prove to be invaluable and irreplaceable as the day wears on.

Accept that at some point, you will have to ask for help to do something that in the past you have been able to do independently with ease. Accept that it will be needed not out of your weakness but through the strength that you gain from those around you.

Parting Thoughts

Enjoy the company of those with you today for who they are and who they are to you. You are where you are not by your choice, but those that walk along side you are there because they choose to be.

The battle is your’s and your’s to fight, but you will find victory each day made possible through strength that you didn’t know you had, with the help from others that you may not even know, for a legacy that is yours to write.

These are just a few of my ‘How’s”. You already know my “Why.”

Welcome fellow warrior!

Thanks for reading, liking and sharing,

Al and his faithful arms-bearer and sidekick, Ivy the wonder pup.

Ivy is getting into this warrior theme. I found her wearing her food bowl on her head and jousting with the cat using her chew toys as weapons.