CUT THE PACE!

 For those who have served in the Canadian Armed Forces how many times were you out for a rucksack march, or practicing for a parade, and heard the Warrant, Regimental Sergeant Major or Officer, bark “CUT THE PACE!”?

For those not indoctrinated by the service, it’s a saying given in order to slow a group of marchers from walking to fast; or in the case of taking too long of a stride, could be substituted with the term “STEP SHORT!” (Both terms are fully capitalized here as the commands were seldom whispered but nearly always shouted with gusto.)

Often was my experience that these commands were required to reign in over excited, keen or excessively focused individuals or groups committed to their particular task at hand. It was also said joking or chidingly to individuals who may be trying a little too hard and not doing something properly as a result. It is in this latter sense that I’ve reflected on and realized that I need to “cut the pace” on Unbloused.

I came into this project with a ton of enthusiasm, ideas and excitement… also a fair amount of assumptions about my achievable goals. I was freshly retired, unshackled from the constraints of a sluggish and reactionary organization and I was going tackle this awesome project and nothing was going to get in my way. But, like the saying goes, no plan survives first contact with the enemy, and in my case, reality and time, decide to open fire on my plans.

In my head I thought the stories would pour in; I’d write chapter introductions, summarize themes and tie everything together in tidy and enjoyable package. I’d have the project wrapped up neatly and published in two years financed through a successful GoFundMe that would have enough left over funds I could donate to the veteran charities I’d selected as proceed recipients.

 I was wrong…but that’s ok…learn, adapt, and stay in the fight.

The time factor that I blindly ignored was that a person must be comfortable telling their story, this can take time. What I envisioned in my head for a timeline wasn’t practical because it was my timeline, not the timeline of the people submitting their stories. (I should note that the stories are coming in, slowly, maybe one per month, and there is nothing wrong with that.) People have busy complicated lives; it was foolish of me to think that everyone would be as gung-ho as I was and would stop everything to write their stories. It’s laughable really, like a new 2Lt telling a seasoned infantry WO how to navigate.

The reality factor that caught me off guard was that not a lot of people read books anymore. When I stopped to think about it I could only name one friend who is a voracious reader of actual physical books, whereas everyone else I know reads news articles, or blogs…or doesn’t read. Who wants to wait around to read a book with their own or other stories when they can get them instantly off the internet or listen to them on a podcast? I imagine this is how the French must have felt at the outset of WW2 when the German army simply bypassed their Maginot defenses to the north. “I have this great plan and so long the enemy goes along with it, it should work great!”

What does all this mean? Well a few things.

First, I am still pursuing this project as I believe it has great value and is an excellent way for the veteran community to share their stories in one place. The therapeutic power of sharing and reading stories is significant and well documented.

Second, I am going to post the stories I have already received on the website over the coming weeks, and as new stories come in, I’ll post them too. This way the content stays fresh, and people can discuss, share, laugh, and learn, from the stories now instead of having to wait for years.

Third, I’ll be taking down the GoFundMe and donating what I have already received 50/50 between VETS Canada and Adopt-A-Vet Canada. When the time comes to assemble all the stories and transform them into a book, I’ll search out a grant from Veterans Affairs or the Legion to help with that. I know times are tight financially for a lot of people and if they want to donate, they should choose a veteran non-profit that speaks to them personally and put their money there. It’s the best bang for those few spare dollars you have.

Lastly, this book will happen, when it happens. Ultimately, I just want to share our kick ass stories and it doesn’t have to be anything other than that for now.

All the best,

John