Complicated Tip of the Day

Have you ever thought that life is too complicated? Do you often get caught up in the details that just drive you insane on a daily basis? Well, in my experiences over the past month at the United States Navy's Officer Candidate School, my classmates and I have learned to embrace these details. During our inspections, we are required to have our names stenciled perfectly on every article of clothing that we own. Our underwear and t-shirts are to be folded into a 6" square as well as our socks to be folded 6" in length. The list goes on and on and on, but I will spare you the details.

Military life is very regimented and quite frustrating at times; however, it's not that bad. There are little things that are very simple and quite hilarious to keep us occupied. The one detail in particular that I would like to highlight and even challenge everyone to try is a part of our 'chow hall' procedures. From day one at OCS until the end of the show, we eat 3 square meals a day... breakfast at 0600, lunch at 1100, and dinner at 1700. Here's the catch... eat everything with a spoon! No forks or knives, no American or Continental style of eating... simply pull out your trusty 'war spoon' and go to town on pancakes, cereal, chicken, fish, and even steak! You might think I'm crazy... and you would be right in thinking that. But eating with one untensil instead of three is just a small step into making life less complicated.

-OC Calton