The Good Parts Can Also Be The Bad Parts

I remember watching the movie Mask years ago (the one with Cher in it, not to be confused with "The Mask"...Let's just say I am not a Jim Carrey fan).

The movie is about Rocky Dennis, a kid with craniodiaphyseal dysplasia,known for its disfiguring cranial enlargements.

In the movie, he writes a poem for school:

"These things are good: ice cream and cake, a ride on a harley, seeing monkeys in the trees, the rain on my tongue, and the sun shining on my face.

These things are a drag: dust in my hair, holes in my shoes, no money in my pocket, and the sun shining on my face."

Sometimes the Foreign Service reminds me of that poem.

For example:

One of the cool parts about being in the Foreign Service is that you end up with friends all over the world. People you care very deeply about. Pick a place in the world to go on vacation and chances are good you have a friend there. Take a look at your next bid list and call your friends there for the inside scoop.

And one of the bad parts about being in the Foreign Service is that you end up with friends all over the world. People you care very deeply about. Pick a place in the world where there is conflict and danger and chances are good you have a friend there. Someone you worry about.

I have several friends in Tunisia. And I am worried about them.

I pray things calm down there soon and that everyone stays safe.