Natosha Monroe

One thing about being in the Army that is rarely highlighted in movies or in the media is the amazing opportunity to meet people from all different walks of life and to encounter rich and unique experiences that would just not happen otherwise. Have you ever seen the movie, Pay it Forward? (If you haven’t, I recommend it.) Well, I had an experience this week that reminded me of the message from that movie. This experience reminded me of the goodness that still lies within people, even when it sometimes seems like the world is increasingly full of harshness and disconnect. It also reminded me of how inspiring people can be and how random acts of kindness can truly touch lives. It all started with my search for the perfect traditional Afghan carpet.

I just completed a Qualitative Research Methods course in my PhD program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (which sounds dull but was AMAZING, thanks to the great Dr. Leahy, ha). Over this past year our portion (there are two) of the International Psychology cohort became very close. After witnessing our interactions and apparent bond, we were asked by a professor: “If you are willing, tell me... how is it that this group became what I see an exemplar for what is possible in an online learning situation?...How can we…support other students to create the kind of learning community you have created?”

Hot tea, orange slices, and NFL football: What in the world do these three things have in common? I’m sure ya’ll could probably come up with some pretty weird answers to that question. But for me, these are perhaps my top three “things that bring me joy and make me feel like I’m back at home for a minute” luxuries here in Afghanistan. They make me feel a bit more content and well, just a bit happier when I’m indulging in them for a moment. I’ve noticed this and pondered a bit on the “why.” The hot tea one is easy, as is the NFL football—nostalgia of being home with family as a kid and ever since. Maybe just that moment of something familiar attached to pleasant memories releases some kind of relaxing chemical or something—anyone care to enlighten me?

Do you ever wish you could do more for your clients to help improve their situations? I sometimes wish I had the ability—just for a moment—to jump into their bodies a’ la Whoopi Goldberg in “Ghost” so they can see things differently, more realistically, or just realize their value as a human being who deserves to be happy. Ok, so maybe doing the Whoopi Goldberg thing is a bit creepy and I wouldn’t want to go that far. But you get my point. I was reminded of the power of “the little things” a few days ago.

If one doesn’t sleep an entire night through for months on end and even up to a year, it’s no wonder it takes them a while to readjust once they are back home. When I was in Guantanamo Bay for a year with nightly-interrupted sleep, it took me over a year once I was back home to sleep an entire night through without waking up. And that wasn’t even a combat zone! Before the deployment, I never had sleep issues—I am one of those people who goes straight to sleep once my head hits the pillow and I stay asleep until my alarm goes off in the morning.