Mission Accomplished

I skydive in order to relax. Actually, I do not skydive. Similarly, I do not get botox injections; but relaxation is the result of both thrilling endeavors. Think of it as shock and "Ahhhhh". The human body is shocked by toxins as easily as by jumping out of an aircraft in flight.

Once the perceived danger is over, the body goes into relax mode. The successful parachute or bungee jump is often celebrated with a yawn. The age-defying botox treatment is rewarded by relaxed skin and smoothed facial crevices.

Needless to say, the adrenaline rush and subsequent release from stress and strain on the nerves is a temporary condition that needs to be repeated and even increased, as thrill seekers and cosmetologists can attest. Unfortunately, the shock component gets valued as the price of doing business reveals. The natural, and free, aspect we know as relaxation gets short shrift.

Soon, all there is to look forward to is the next boost, or booster shot. The time between shocks to the system gets shorter and shorter; and relaxation is seen as "down time" till the next costly fix.

Why not stay in free fall, in botoxology, or in battle for that matter?

Because the last thing to go through your mind could be your feet; the last thing to register on your face could be real emotion; and the last thing to fight could be helpless women and children. I remember the meteorologist, the eugenics doctors, and the other day's atrocious news out of Afghanistan.

No one was more surprised seeing "Mission Accomplished" so soon after "Shock and Awe" than me. Of course, that was only a temporary condition that required more costly measures to sustain. We soon needed to jump to other missions, even more toxic with shocking repercussions. The only thing smoothed over was the "collateral damage" to an ancient civilization.

For some, the time between operations was so short as to be insulting to our Intelligence. Now, the excitement is gone, the pain is a problem, and the crow is back to being all feet, so to speak.   

If feeling dead inside is relaxation, then I guess it was all worth it. Besides, I can always buy that perpetual look of shocked surprise from a plastic surgeon by the name of Nip Tuck.