R&R

I never thought I would be excited to do absolutely nothing. Generally speaking, I like to be active and have something to do. Boredom is not my friend. However, in the last day or two I have come to appreciate “nothing”.

I am on R&R (Rest and Recuperation), a four day pass given to those who have deployed for greater than 180 days (our deployment is around 235). Because I am not here a full year, I am not allowed to go home. Our only option for R&R is in Qatar.

Our journey began on Monday by going to another base to catch a flight to Qatar. The first flight out was on Tuesday which gave us about 24 hours to get through before the next leg of our trip. We are one of the last groups to go on R&R so we had heard many horror stories about the travel and how long it took to get places and all about the “hurry up and wait”. Although my type “A” personality would usually buy right into the annoyance of multiple delays, this time I was determined to make the most out of my down time.

I spent 24 hours playing on the computer, uploading pictures, reading a book, listening to music, watching a movie, and sleeping. It was glorious. I can’t remember the last time I have had the luxury of doing absolutely nothing of real importance. If I have any “extra” time, I fill it with completing records, doing laundry, working on collateral duties, and if I’m lucky, I might work in an escape to the wood shop.

Now I am a little more recharged and I’m ready to tackle Qatar and all it has to offer. I have no doubt R&R will accomplish what it is intended to do….provide rest and relaxation. ..and a little bit of nothing.