August 27, 2024

There I was, 2 am on the 24-hour endurance hike as a squad leader. Everyone was groggy and exhausted from the last 20 hours of hiking, and gloomy darkness surrounded us during another break. This was hard. I had an idea! What if we get our minds off the hardship for a moment, and instead make an epic memory?

I reached into my backpack and pulled out a bottle of sparkling apple juice. It had been with me for quite some time, so it was well shaken. I unscrewed the cap and ran through the line of guys, passing the overflowing bubbly apple juice from one person to the next. Laughter began as each man realized, if only for a moment, that there could be fun amid the hardship.

It is not always about just enduring the hardship, but rather about the attitude you have during the hardship.