In my ongoing quest to collect the pointless lint of my life here is another layer of words like dust.
I gave this post the title of Demarc and initially tagged it with #Stravages
My oldest son sent this picture of some young soldiers walking on a muddy track in the forest. he told me, This was my team on demarc
The ex-special forces and upcoming author @scott_ryder_zero79 posted this on IG Commando Selection Course. Holsworthy Barracks, 2022. (SOCOMD).
Demarcating a border I assume? Ev tells me it was the Demarcation Phase of his training - 96 hours of no food or sleep with continual physical and mental activity.
I associated it with The Demarcation Line of Vichy France in WW2. This confused me for a moment. Then, I remembered how far removed I was from my Grand-parents history here in modern day Australia.
Disturbingly the Collins dictionary has an archaic meaning for demark which means to remove all trace of a person or thing. Modern parlance places more emphasis on a significant border. The military parlance with it’s love of creating ritualistic traditions could I suppose represent crossing over from one kind of soldier to another. Much like the similar sounding apposite demob when a soldier returns to civilian life.
I am probably overthinking this.
Last Friday I swabbed my nose gubbins and found myself at a different kind of border. The dual red lines of a RAT test. On telling my employer I had tested positive they told me I had to stay away until the following Wednesday Thursday and to only return if asymptomatic. Work has been fairly unpleasant of late so I gladly took the break.
I generally enjoy working even if I struggle with the constancy. Going to the same place, to perform the same tasks with the same people every day. I hope Sisyphus enjoyed his work as much as I do… and, Camus imagined. However, the constancy at times feels pointless.
Antoine de Saint Exupéry voiced my restlessness a long time ago.
In the world of Le Petite Prince I think I am currently The Lamplighter.
Following orders, doing my job.
“There is nothing to understand, Orders are orders…”
“In the old days I put the lamp out in the morning, and in the evening I lighted it again”
… but the Lamplighter’s little planet is spinning faster and faster.
The Little Prince advised the Lamplighter, To always be in the sunshine you need only walk along very slowly. When you want to rest, you will only walk.
I’ve wasted enough time on this post and will demarc a line here (…groan) and take the dog for a walk.
