Homeward Bound

So I've come out of Afghanistan and back in to the real world again. . . . Or maybe I'm out of Afghanistan and taking a break from the real world for a little while. In either case I'm back in the United States again and, so far, loving every minute. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't very, very strange trying to reintegrate myself into "polite society", such as it is, and at time also very difficult. I'm still nervous around crowds, loud noises make me jump, I look at almost everyone I see distrustfully, I'm more prone to violence than the person who left here 16 months ago, and there are some nights where I just can't sleep worth a damn. I've been, at least, a little uncomfortable almost everywhere I've been in the last week and a half, with almost everyone I've hung out with. Almost everyone.

So what's the fix? Does time make it go away? Surround myself with people who make me feel happy and safe? There aren't too many of those people around. The good news is that I'm normal. So said the Chaplain before we left Afghanistan. Apparently everyone experiences post traumatic stress. So as long as I don't fly off the handle and kill someone in cold blood with my bare hands, we don't have to worry. One week and change and things already feel like they're going do fast. Some good, some bad but all very, very fast. Nothing is ever easy.

All that being said, I really am thrilled to be back. New car, new computer, met a girl, leg is almost healed, saw my best friend, played volleyball, got pretty intoxicated the other night, had a great weekend and planning on doing it all again this weekend. Having fun that is.