Jornal and Poem 02/24/2014

                 

                  When I think of a bad experience that turned into a great one there is one that often comes to mind. This experience didn’t happen directly to me but it affected me. I was a freshmen in high school and my brother was a senior and he had intentions to go to the United States Military Academy to play lacrosse in West Point, NY. My father would bring my brothers and I there to watch football, hockey and lacrosse games as kids. He went through the whole process and was expecting to go there in the summer time for training then start the education portion in the fall. On the 11^th hour he received a letter that he was not qualified to go due to the fact that he had surgery on his right finger the year prior and still had screw in his hand therefore he would be medically disqualified.

                You have to remember I was a young teen at the time so not only was I extremely mad that he didn’t get in because it would’ve been great to watch him play for a school the as a family we loved and that was my brothers dream of going to. The worst part about it was he thought he was a sure in. These schools can at times be pretty political to get into depending upon how many kids in your region apply. I didn’t really have a good grasp of politics and how the whole process worked, all I could think about is why do these people who never served their country or lied about awards they got in Vietnam get too choose who goes to these schools and my brothers hand works I don’t see the big problem with a medical condition.

                My brother had little time to figure out his plan for life after high school so he applied late to a bunch of school and ended up going to Bridgton Academy and playing Football and Lacrosse. There football team was hard hitting and fun to watch and there lacrosse team beat Army’s freshmen team when they played them that spring. My father and I took the trip down to watch the game and it was bitter sweet to watch them win. After that my brother made some connections with the Air Force Academy and end up going there a year later after doing a semester at Mass Maritime Academy. Throughout his whole experience every time I though was hitting a little bump in the road or times were getting tough I would think back about what my brother has gone through and how his cards had been dealt. You have to be selfish to get what you want and sometimes you think you know what you want until you experience other things and start seeing things from a different angle and realizing what you really want. When making that first step into what you want your future to consist of you should investigate and try to get a really good feel for what you could or are about to endure. Life is 50-50 it’s a yes or no world. Something is either going to happen or it’s not. In a way you can decide if it happens or not depending on the circumstances. Not everything is meant to be, it’s all about moving cause if you’re not moving that not life that means your dead…

Alchemy Poem-The Choice

Wake up and eat

Or be eaten

Sleep is required for life

Oversleeping is required for the lazy

Separating yourself can be a positive

Don’t let laziness be a part of your prerogative

The more you experience the more mindful

Therefore you’ll be less whinful

Finding rhythm and consistency is key

To be anyone you want to be

To find be completely comfortable

You must deal with uncomfort

To deal with uncomforting events

Will strengthen your center

The center is you focus point

Where the soul and body are joint.

Jornal Entry Week 4

Growing up as a kid my father and grandfather always made sure if someone was in trouble or struggling with something and you have the time you should help them if you can. They were two people in my lifetime were I saw them time and time again lead by example. Both of them professionally took care of others for 30+ years then retired.

When I was a little kid I would spend my mornings going over to my grandfathers house and walking his dog down to the lake. While my mother and grandmother would have coffee talk. The older I got the easier the walk. I'd do this monday thru friday before going to pre-school. We'd walk and talk and he'd have me run up hills and go get stick for the dog and throw the sticks in the lake. By the time we made it back to the house I'd be dirty or sweat and my mother would have to clean me up(was never happy with that, grandfather always won that argument). We took the same route every morning a right out of his house down the street about 1/2 a mile then a left too the lake. We'd see the same faces getting into there car every morning. My grandfather was a postal worker, therefore he knew everyone and everyone knew him. Every where I went with him he'd have people approaching him asking how he's been. He was a minded hearted guy who loved interacting with his neighbors. When we'd walk in the winter time and people were dusting snow off there car he'd stop and have me dust off the back window while he'd tell them to sit in the car where it was warm and he'd get the front window. He loved helping people and making there lives easier. Deep inside of me I though he did these things hoping that the person he helped would return the favor to someone else throughout the day. My experiences with my grandfather at a young age makes it almost second nature for me too help those who need it.

My first deployment in the service was to downtown Baghdad, Iraq. My unit did many things over there but the most important of them all was creating a good rapport with the local populous. That meant when an Iraqi came up to any soldier with a problem we would get the intepreters attention and have him figure out what the problem was, if we could solve it ourselves or what the best possible solution for them would be. We used the crawl walk run method. In order for this too work we made sure the children would trust us, from there we made sure the women would trust us and finally although it was a struggle at first the men finally trusted us. The first step was believe it or not filling the children's belles with candy and from there that lead to the men calling us and informing us when suspicious activity was going on around there neighborhood. Helping people solve problems not only fixed minor problems but it made the capital of Baghdad from the deadliest war zone in the world to one of the calmest in 2007-2008. All it took was helping others.

On the way back home to the good ole state of North Carolina. As we touched down after being away from our friends and families for over 15 months you get this overwhelming feeling that is unlike any other. Its indescribable until about 48hrs after the fact. When everything sets in you see your family and talk to the people you love and miss. People ask you over and over how you did it for 15 months. My response was simple it was easy for moments like this being able to sit down and listen to your awful jokes and look at that dumb smile and annoying laugh of yours(sarcasm). While I was deployed I kept busy, don't get me wrong I would think about things back home but I came to the realization that I couldn't control what was going on back there. This deployment made me realize when your focused on one thing and you put everything you have into it by focusing on the task at hand great things can happen. For the first time in my life I was ultimately focused and by being so focused it got my back home to the people I love and care about.

Living with roommates is probably my overall worst experience of all-time. I cannot stand it. If you told me when I was 16yrs old my parent would be my best roommates I'd laugh at you. I am a pretty clean person and I am not the type who leaves dishes in the sink for more then two minutes. These experiences living with many different type of people whether it was in the army or when I moved back to boston have made me created ideas in my head about creating some type of bubble when you get into your apartment where you cannot be bothered by anything. Having numerous amounts of roommates has made me a pretty tolerable person and I believe in this day an age you have to be very flexible and tolerable it setups you up in the work environment and just makes you better at interacting with people.

Poem Job Didn't Like

The Grind...

It was up and out early
Shoving food down my throat
Coffee on the way
Roads were clear no traffic

A.M. talk radio never optimistic
Sometime times that just being realistic
At the job site 20 minutes early perhaps to meditate
Or just for the quiet relaxation

At 7:30 was when the Music was on
Noise over cluttering and missing out lyrics
Twelve an hour non-stop moving
Listening too a bunch of critics

It was busy work and made time pass
As we know time is money
Making the same as the people who cut the grass
Somethings just ain't worth it honey

They complain about the Government
Talk about the sport world "if they were the coach"
It was too cold, too windy, too rainy or snowy to deal with the circumstances
Putting in my two weeks was the most freedom I've ever felt

When surrounded by negativity
When told lies
When waiting for yours
When is just a time

Why is the answer
Who is the reason
Where just does't matter
What and Why are synonyms in this one

When I was a Limitless Kid

When I was a Limitless Kid….

There was a summer I had to get stitches non-stop
My new name became Dinger
I liked to climb, run, jump, crawl, and achieve any obstacle
Jumped off my 2nd story roof just too see if I could do it

Loved Snow days
Made money shoveling
The woods sledding or playing pond hockey
Then a warm meal and hot chocolate to end the day

Sweaty days playing little league baseball
In the dog days of summer
Or the crisp Fall Afternoons
Pizza and Slush to finalize 6 innings win or lose

College Football Saturdays
Pats all day Sunday
Then school on Mondays
Then school on Mondays

Summer vacation in Maine
From Fishing to swimming
Probably should've been wearing sunblock…ouch
To eating Lobster or grilling at night

When I was a Limitless Kid
Paying the bills wasn't in my head
Doing laundry was on the back burner
Figuring out Dinner plans wasn't a priority
Pretty much being an adult sucks!

Journal Entry 10Feb2014

When I turned about 10 years old my two brothers and I received lacrosse sticks for Christmas. My father told us we better start practicing if we wanted to play in the spring time. The city I lived in started its first youth league that year that was ran by my uncle.  My father and uncle wished that they played lacrosse when they were kids. So my brothers and cousins and I would practice as much as we could whether is was breaking into the high school gym on the weekends when there was too much snow on the ground or finding a park with the lights still on to play at night. When our schedule came out we had to play two of the best teams in the state towards the end of the season. These teams had youth programs around for the past 20 years. We hadn't lost a game all year when we went into playing both teams and my uncle was kind of surprised at how well we were doing for a first year program. I think a lot had to do with the fact that we were practicing with kids much older than us prior to the season. In our first season the under-11 team went undefeated during the season and we lost in the final game of our end of the year jamboree. Although it would've been great to go undefeated I think the overall success of the first year program outweighs that. It was simple and in plain sight as to why we had great success because every opportunity we had to practice with each other we did. The team as a whole had a great work ethic and some of the kids were just so happy hockey was over and intrigued by this new game. Working as a team makes it some much easier to get things done. When every one complies and puts it that extra effort great things happen.

The longest ride of my life. My last year of youth lacrosse before I moved on to the High School. My uncle was our Coach, he liked to have fun but only if everyone was giving 100%. We had too drive out to Western Massachusetts to play a team that like use four years ago was a first year youth league. Lets just say it was one of the longest games of my life and to go with it my cousin and I had too drive the hour back to the city with my uncle. My cousin and I new we went into the game with a terrible attitude like we were going to walk all over this team and they ended up beating us by three goals. The first 15 minutes of the ride my uncle wripped into us, then there was 30 minutes of the most awkward silence i have ever experienced. I guess you could call that the reflection period. I hated it. Right at the 45 minute mark when we were about 15 minutes away from home he repeated everything he said prior just too make sure we didn't forget. When ever I start letting up or feeling sorry for myself I think of that long drive.

The way I find works best for me to harness my power is by waking up every morning with the mental and physical preparation to go about my day with the proper attitude and right frame of mind. Those who over sleep and tend to not be active tend to miss out. If I don't have work or school your either going to find me running or at the gym or find something that is bettering myself as a person. Everyone says life is hard, which I totally agree with sometimes but the harder you work at something the easier it is. There's no one person who is a subject matter expert on life.

Rhyming Poem

We don't see each other as much as we should

Although event throughout the day have us harassing each other

Sometimes If I could break your phone I would

But I can't do that to you brother


We've seen it all

Both small and tall

In an urban land

That wasn't so grand

It smelt like New Jersey state

And made us beg for American food on our plate


We jump out of planes to train

Whether it was in the sun or the rain

If it wasn't from tobacco we'd be a little more insane



You're a true friend and I've learned a lot

Iraq, ya we kind missed that spot

Why else would we talk and text about it for days


You've taught me how to laugh and smile

I hope I get to see that Mexican smile in a while

Dear Stevo,

I hope this letter finds you. It's been a while. We catch each other on the phone every once in a while but you with the kids and me trying to figure somethings out we always end up cutting each other off. I'm writing you this letter to kind of check myself and get somethings off my chest that I never really get to text or say over the phone when we talk.

We've been through the worse times and the best times together. When times were bad I'd be right next to you thinking were 1,300 miles away and my boy Stevo hasn't seen his wife and son in quite some time. I could never have done it the way you did it during deployment. I'd be an emotional wreck. You had the mental toughness to drive on and phase that element out though. I would always say too myself if Stevo has the optimistic attitude then I got be right up there with him. Whether it was running with you or working out.

When I first ran into you and was told me and you would be running the the platoon together I was kind of in awe on how a guy from Cali and a kid from Boston are going to set apart the differences in the sports realm and be able to get things done without arguing over it. Believe it or not you're the only person I know from California who doesn't have an ego or smoke endless amounts of pot…you my friend are a rare breed. We both came from different parts of the country and I know you can agree have two totally different ways of looking at things but you've helped me realize many things since we've become friends and I thank you. You've given me a lot of different ways of approaching and looking at situations. The odds were against us at the beginning but after a while the Chain of Command was all about us. Formally know as 95 and kilo kilo…the Alpha Company guys from Cali and Boston.


I love that you have a family but hate it, cause all that means is I have to fly out to see you instead of the other way around.

Sincerely,
Kev

ACROSTIC POEM

Mind
Energy
Non-Stop
Toughness
Awareness
Living to Experience

Perservence
Hard Work
Youthful
Strength
Intensity
Collective
Attitude
Leaping Forward

Proactive
Realizing
Ethics
Power
Adversity
Readiness
Anything You do
Teamwork
Individual Goals
Open Opinion
Never Quit

My name is Kev Krasco. I spent the first 18 yrs of my life growing up in Medford, which is five minutes North of Boston. I graduated from Medford High School in 2005. Immediately after High school I joined the U.S. Army. I served in the U.S. Army till 2011. Allthough I was grew up in Medford I would say I was raised in North Carolina and a couple other significant places. I have one sister and three brothers. I have the toughest job in the the family, which is being the middle child.

Growing up I spend most of my free time playing Lacrosse and Football. I still play pick up lacrosse in and around Boston in a couple of leagues. As for football I am just an onlooker now. Allthough I love the game my body doesn't want the abuse that I went through in my teen years. I like to travel and experience new things. I am always opened to something new and interesting. I love the outdoors and spending time with my family. Like many people who are from Boston I enjoy taking in a sporting event, whether it's at Gilette Stadium, The Boston Garden or Fenway Park. I also enjoy listening to music. I don't have a preference I like all music I guess the mood I am in will decide what I will be listening to.

My friends would describe me as unique and energetic. Allthough some would say I am very loyal but at time very stubborn. I get the loyal part from my father and the stubborn part from my mother. Many of my friends call me for advice and in return I often do the same. Usually it starts of on both sides as "I know exactly what your going to say when I tell you this but I just have to ask" and then from there by then end of the conversation we meet in the middle and end it with an okay good talk. Most off all my friends will say I am open minded and about the situations in which they present to me and often times I surprise them. I am a big fan of seeing why a person perspective is the way it is and placing myself in there shoes at times. For I am a big fan of the GOLDEN RULE.