Keep Your Feet Dry
It was time to air out.
The men sat down to remove their boots and socks.
Their feet were wet.
Their socks were wet.
Their boots were wet.
The three combined provide the perfect conditions for jungle rot (if you imagine the men in Vietnam) or Trench rot (if you imagine them in WWI).
* * *
I asked Dad what he learned from Vietnam. He shared a few things, but the one I always think back to is: Keep your feet dry.
I expected him to go down the leadership and battles road. He paused and shared a bit at the fork and then went down the seemingly-little-things-that-matter-practical route.
Wear dry socks. Mucked-up feet will take you – and your brothers – down.
Don’t take shortcuts. It’s easier to walk along the side of a cleared road than it is to clear your own path in the jungle. Don’t go with what is easy.
Trust your instincts. This one arrived via an interview Steve Pressfield did with Gen. Sam V. Wilson, July 2010:
You are going along a jungle trail in North Burma when suddenly a voice in your head says, Duck Sam, Duck Sam, Duck!
And a Jap Nambu light machine gun cuts the empty air where you had been standing.
Premonition? Hardly.
The almost unnoticed odor of fish heads and rice and the slight discoloration in the leaves of the branches camouflaging the enemy machine gun telegraphed danger to you without your being fully conscious of it. Trust your instincts.
* * *
Big-picture war stories often are about battles. The lessons learned and shared take the form of strategies developed, weapons used, and so on.
If you have the opportunity to ask a veteran, ask about the things that kept him or her operating and alive, and you’ll find that the stories and examples shared are quite simple—as simple as “Keep your feet dry.”
DO THE WORK
Steve shows you the predictable Resistance points that every writer hits in a work-in-progress and then shows you how to deal with each one of these sticking points. This book shows you how to keep going with your work.
THE AUTHENTIC SWING
A short book about the writing of a first novel: for Steve, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Having failed with three earlier attempts at novels, here's how Steve finally succeeded.
NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T
Steve shares his "lessons learned" from the trenches of the five different writing careers—advertising, screenwriting, fiction, nonfiction, and self-help. This is tradecraft. An MFA in Writing in 197 pages.
TURNING PRO
Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have pro habits. When we turn pro, we give up the comfortable life but we find our power. Steve answers the question, "How do we overcome Resistance?"
Keeping your feet dry. Yet another reason to tighten your boots, no? Both of these posts speak to the idea that in all our endeavors, preparation matters.
Ignoring the basics causes more than discomfort, it can cause your death and that of your team. In sports, famed coach John Wooden first taught his teams to be sure socks were smooth and shoes correctly tied. You can’t play on sore feet, let alone use the special talents you may have to make the great plays.
You just keep knocking them out of the park, Callie! Thanks for another great post.
Have General Wilson’s memoirs been published yet? See the referenced interview.
Thanks for the great post…preparation is key!
A few more decent,real paragraphs aimed right at me.Or at least I thought or feel when I read ‘your stuff’ I love it! Yeah- I got immersed in it and almost thought you were gonna bamboozle me when you threw in “Trust Your Instincts” with keeping your feet dry. I think my instinct told me other people will not back up properly when they tell Me to trust My instincts. I encourage you to write more-Ha!because I’m a fool for you —-and you know it! Warren
Keep your feet dry reminds me of reading about WWI where the men who fought were rarely able to change their socks and underwear – I’ve read that once a month was typical. In The Letters of Agar Adamson, Agar (isn’t that a wonderful name) frequently writes to his wife requesting fresh socks, underwear, pyjamas and so on. Often he gives them to his men. Incredible what men endured.
Yes! Finally someone writes about vermont country store soap.
I appreciate your advice on how to choose the right socks and shoes, and how to dry your feet properly after washing them. I will definitely follow your suggestions and invest in some wool or synthetic socks and waterproof shoes.
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