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Today I went with S. and her group of Asperger teens to Notre Dame to help pack boxes for troops. It was a pretty laid-back gathering - hosted by a group of Notre Dame students, who paired up with the teens and provided pizza, pop, and snacks and, of course, the game on a big screen. They didn't have a lot of boxes to pack; I think it averaged to about one per teen, which worked out pretty well. (Usually this group gets together about twice a month for a chance to socialize with other teens like themselves; this month she arranged for them to take part in this activity so they can have the opportunity to learn about giving back and volunteering.)
Anyway, these little boxes each contained a hand-made card from the packer, a pair of socks, several different snack items (granola bars, jerky, candy) and drink mixes (coffee, hot chocolate, energy drink), as well as a pack of cards and small toy - a punching ball to blow up or a small rubber ball. I packed mine and couldn't help wondering if this was something we were doing just to make ourselves feel good about doing something or if these little things really mattered to the troops, so when I got home, I told Irish about the things we're sending and asked him if it really made a difference. He told me that, yes, these little things were very welcome. He pointed at the various action figures he has set up and said, "You have to understand, when you're in combat, what you see on those action figures [clothes, various pouches of things, a canteen, and weapons] - that's all you have. That's your world. You bounce from periods of extreme boredom to bouts of sheer terror, with nothing in between. Having a packet of hot chocolate to drink - something the military doesn't give you - or just a small rubber ball to squeeze in your hand or toss around when you're not on watch can make a difference. It doesn't make you ecstatic, but it lets you experience something besides boredom and terror and gives you a lift to know someone you don't know is thinking about you." So while it did make me feel good to do something nice for someone else, what I'm really glad about is that it will make a difference to that someone else. (I remember once Irish telling that he always asked his mom to send him grape Koolaid powder and mini bottles of Tabasco sauce. The Koolaid was to flavor the water, which tasted bad when it was treated with halogen tablets, and the Tabasco for the food, which was generally nasty.)
Anyway, these little boxes each contained a hand-made card from the packer, a pair of socks, several different snack items (granola bars, jerky, candy) and drink mixes (coffee, hot chocolate, energy drink), as well as a pack of cards and small toy - a punching ball to blow up or a small rubber ball. I packed mine and couldn't help wondering if this was something we were doing just to make ourselves feel good about doing something or if these little things really mattered to the troops, so when I got home, I told Irish about the things we're sending and asked him if it really made a difference. He told me that, yes, these little things were very welcome. He pointed at the various action figures he has set up and said, "You have to understand, when you're in combat, what you see on those action figures [clothes, various pouches of things, a canteen, and weapons] - that's all you have. That's your world. You bounce from periods of extreme boredom to bouts of sheer terror, with nothing in between. Having a packet of hot chocolate to drink - something the military doesn't give you - or just a small rubber ball to squeeze in your hand or toss around when you're not on watch can make a difference. It doesn't make you ecstatic, but it lets you experience something besides boredom and terror and gives you a lift to know someone you don't know is thinking about you." So while it did make me feel good to do something nice for someone else, what I'm really glad about is that it will make a difference to that someone else. (I remember once Irish telling that he always asked his mom to send him grape Koolaid powder and mini bottles of Tabasco sauce. The Koolaid was to flavor the water, which tasted bad when it was treated with halogen tablets, and the Tabasco for the food, which was generally nasty.)
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