USING YOUR DOWN TIME

USING YOUR DOWN TIME...

As I was digging through a box of old papers, I ran across a few handwritten notes from years ago while I was out in the field in Japan and Korea.
Seeing those notes made me think about how precious and rare it was when we actually had "down time". And because it was so rare we would use it wisely. For me, that meant putting my thoughts on paper. Sometimes I couldn't find a piece of scratch paper so I would write short notes on a piece of cardboard or anything else I could find out in the field.
For all of you women and men still serving in the military, may God bless and watch over you and bring you back safely. And please take full advantage of any down time that comes your way.
By the way, those little notes I used to jot down years ago are now my novels today. Have a wonderful day and enjoy your down time. - Randolph Randy Camp
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No Complaints

How often do we complain about minuscule stuff? My morning started off just like any other morning. Hardly anything was going right, and the complaints quickly began to pile up. I woke up to a nagging knee pain, and then, later, I had to go back inside to put on a thicker shirt because it was a bit chillier than normal this morning. By now, I was running late for an important meeting so I reluctantly skipped my routine visit to the coffee shop…and then, it hit me. It was at this very moment when my ‘wiser self’ reminded me of the morning, a couple years ago, when I was working at the Buffalo Veterans Hospital.
As usual, my mornings at the Veterans Hospital started off with me going down to the cafeteria to get my large cup of coffee. This one particular morning would be permanently engrained in my memory because I was in a hurry and I didn’t do my typical ‘sip-test’ after I’d hastily mixed in a little cream and sugar.
When I got into the elevator to return to my work station on the ninth floor, I had a chance to take a test-sip of my coffee and it was just plain awful! Needless to say, I let out a profound ‘f-bomb’ as the others in the elevator turned their heads to me. When we finally reached the ninth floor, the elevator door opened and a wheel-chaired double-amputee cheerfully greeted us with, “Good morning, ladies n’ gents!” as he wheeled himself into the elevator. After seeing this man with no legs, I immediately felt ashamed at myself for complaining about the taste of my coffee.
No, today I’m certainly not perfect and I still sometimes complain about life’s minuscule things. I wish that my ‘wiser self’ would pop up more often to remind me that I truly have nothing really to complain about.
Learn more at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

The Wishful Traveler

I grew up poor in rural Spotsylvania County, Virginia. I was a nerd and absolutely loved going to school because it was an escape from my sometimes dismal surroundings. I loved reading books about different cultures around the world and I would dream about going to these exotic places one day.
When I’d joined the US Air Force (after high school) I was able to travel the globe and actually visit some of the places and cultures I’d read about as a child.
I was fascinated by the Australian Aborigines, and when I was fifteen years old, I took part in my own ‘walkabout’. Let me explain: When I was 15, I went on a ‘journey’ from my rural hometown in Virginia to the bustling City of Philadelphia. Well, the juvenile court system said that I was a ‘runaway, and you should’ve seen the look on their faces when I tried to explain to them that I was simply on ‘my walkabout’.
Thank God for the US Air Force because during my numerous overseas tours, I was very fortunate to visit one of my favorite places, which is Japan. Not only did I visit mainland Japan while traveling in the Air Force, but I also got a chance to see the Island of Okinawa, Japan as well.
I certainly know what it’s like to ‘want to see the world’ but you maybe stuck in a financial bind and unable to fly and travel at will. Please take a lesson from me and just go to your local public library and you’ll be amazed at how far those books will take you. - Randolph Randy Camp


Learn more at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

Randy Camp Receives DAV Certificate of Appreciation

Randy Camp was honored on February 11, 2013 with a CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION from the DAV, Disabled American Veterans organization, for creating the positive character Lamar Woods in his 2012 Southern noir novel FALSE DANDELIONS.
Learn more at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp