I didn't miss it saturn, I hoped to invoke some self-reflection with regards to the petty nature of it all.
Maybe a little acedote of a life-lesson I learned the hard way will help put it in perspective;
A long time ago, in a desert far-far away...I was a 20-something y.o. enlisted guy in our beloved armed forces. The Commander of our remote outpost (let's call it ****ehole-in-the-wall) was a highly decorated Lt Colonel. This highly regarded officer was putting in some command time to round out his full-time B-2 gig enroute to his next stop at NASA, where he would command the shuttle.
Meanwhile, at outpost ****ehole-in-the-wall, a nasty outbreak of foot fungus had infested the shower tents.
I made my first mistake by not looking busy as the 1st Sgt neared. He pounced, thrusted a scrub brush and a bucket of bleach water in my hands, and ordered me to the shower tent to engage the foot fungus...no retreat, fight to the last man.
My black cloud of disdain overhead, I sulked through the maze of hootches. Enroute I happened upon Mugsy (name not changed, f Mugsy) identically equipped with aforementioned brush, bucket, and cloud. We quickly summized that the task assigned was beneath the duties of such fine american warriors as we, agreeing that the assault on the fungus would be half-hearted at best, 1st Sgt be damned.
Together we approached the fungus infested tent, our cries of indignation reaching a crescendo as we pulled back the flap. To our surprise, another poor sap had already been conscripted into the most repulsive of assignments and was head down, *** up, and giving that fungus floor all he had. I exchanged an amused glance with Mugsy regarding the sap's gusto, silly little airman. Then he looked up at us, face dripping with sweat. The horror hit me like a deuce-and-a-half. That silly little airman scrubbing like a man possessed, covered in sweat, bleach, and fungus, was the Commander. And he'd heard every word.
I'm not a big man but I've never felt so small.
Miss the point? We aren't special. This is work.