Transitions

IV bottles hang from a tree branch.  Below, an adolescent boy lays dieing on a make-shift cot.  I couldn't bring myself to shoot the the boy.

Coming home from a deployment is often difficult, especially when you wake-up in some desperate third world country and find yourself going to sleep that night in your own bed at home.  The shock of abruptly moving between the two environments is often dramatic and catches many people by surprise. Aside from your dusty luggage you arrive home still emotionally invested in your previous environment.  For me, I find myself being a bit quiet, withdrawn, hyper-sensitive to sights and smells, and with an overwhelming sense of being "off-balance". 

I often counsel people that I work with to spend a night in a place that is in many respects half-way between the two; a place where they can decompress, have a world-class shower, a solid meal, and slowly turn the lights back up.  Only slightly in jest, a good bottle of wine is also a great help.