Dy 21 - When Life Gives You Lemons...

Life here in Iraq during the holidays has been filled with its ups and downs. What was once a popular nightly activity full of music and dancing was soon taken away. What was typical internet speed has been drastically reduced as people poured in on rotations to replace those leaving. Life had begun to sour here in the desert, covered in the lemon juice that is life.

Like the old saying goes “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”, we have done just that. While walking from the restrooms I noticed a large group of people in the row of cans behind mine. Using sheets of plastic, duct tape, laundry detergent, and water, they had constructed their own Slip N Slide. Bringing back childhood memories of running and sliding into a large puddle, these Marines had made the most of the lemons they had been given.

As the sun began to set and the temperatures slowly dropped, most would think the crowd would soon disperse and seek warmth. That was not the case here in Iraq. More people began to show up, more soap was added, warm water replaced that which was once cold, and excitement levels continued to climb. Drawing random spectators and passer-byers to the fun, many tried their luck down the slippery lane. Civilians watched in awe as one by one, warriors took running starts to dive onto their bellies, sliding down the thin layer of plastic which covered the rocks below.

There were few cuts, few bruises, few who disagreed with the activity. As a Master Sergeant in the Marines walked past, he paused for a minute, shook his head, and continued to his room. Moments later, he returned wearing only his PT shorts and yelling “I’ll show you young bucks how it’s done!” As cameras focused on him, video recorders running, he not only slid down the lane, but off it as well. Hyped and excited, he immediately jumped up dissatisfied, claiming he had not slid far enough. He went once more, this time rolling off the end of the plastic. Covered in mud, slightly scraped y gravel, and covered in mud, he looked towards me and said “Marines can have a good time in any situation”.

As bodies covered in soap, overcome with laughter, headed to showers, the night was still young. There were many more activities to be had. Once the majority of the crowd returned, the BBQ for the evening began and food was provided to all who desired. Cameras were passed around as each of us looked on and laughed. This would be a night to remember, for we had truly made due with what we had, given our circumstances.

That month of December, life had given us lemons. We did what we knew how to do best – improvised and came together to turn those lemons into something more useful. No, we didn’t make lemonade that night. Instead, we made laughter, joy, memories, and more lasting friendships.