The Old Days: Night Missions
Man, I just had a flashback to the golden days of my youth, fresh out of highschool, surrounded by friends, with nothing but time. I really miss how happy and content that I was back then.
Something reminded me of our old night missions - we'd gather everybody at Alex's house or my house, pick out an objective to accomplish or a new place to explore, gear up (and usually go overboard on radios, camo clothing, etc. which was part of the fun. Hell, we even had night vision). Then we'd wait for nightfall, pile into somebody's car that drove, scout it out if need be, then drop off at a safe drop zone and infiltrate on foot under cover of darkness. We usually had some commercial radios to keep in contact with the car, which was pretty advanced in the days before cellphones and 20 dollar FRS radios that would go 2 miles were commonplace.
It could have been TP'ing or pranking somebody we knew in a wildly elaborate manner. It could have been exploring the rooftops of a nearby school or abandoned building, a new construction site, or some place out on Empire Mine Road. Or it could have been one of the many, many other things I probably really shouldn't talk about.
The thrill of staying unseen as we tread lightly, using shadows or plants for cover as we crept up to our objective. The adrenaline when we got that radio call to bail out - that somebody was coming. Putting trust in the friends you've known all through highschool to get in and get out without incident. The challenge. And last, but not least, the days we'd sit around and tell the stories of all the crazy fucking shit we've done, and the people we punked, the stories now mostly forgotten.
It all seems so petty, and juvenile, but there was something about my mindset back then - that camaraderie, that spirt of tactics, risk, and adventure that made me feel so incredibly, incredibly alive when I was otherwise numb to the world. I'm not saying I'm going to slap on the face paint and dig my old BB gun out of the closet, but I wish that I could find that sense of thrill and adventure once again, because even though I've forgotten all about it, I've missed it ever since.
Something reminded me of our old night missions - we'd gather everybody at Alex's house or my house, pick out an objective to accomplish or a new place to explore, gear up (and usually go overboard on radios, camo clothing, etc. which was part of the fun. Hell, we even had night vision). Then we'd wait for nightfall, pile into somebody's car that drove, scout it out if need be, then drop off at a safe drop zone and infiltrate on foot under cover of darkness. We usually had some commercial radios to keep in contact with the car, which was pretty advanced in the days before cellphones and 20 dollar FRS radios that would go 2 miles were commonplace.
It could have been TP'ing or pranking somebody we knew in a wildly elaborate manner. It could have been exploring the rooftops of a nearby school or abandoned building, a new construction site, or some place out on Empire Mine Road. Or it could have been one of the many, many other things I probably really shouldn't talk about.
The thrill of staying unseen as we tread lightly, using shadows or plants for cover as we crept up to our objective. The adrenaline when we got that radio call to bail out - that somebody was coming. Putting trust in the friends you've known all through highschool to get in and get out without incident. The challenge. And last, but not least, the days we'd sit around and tell the stories of all the crazy fucking shit we've done, and the people we punked, the stories now mostly forgotten.
It all seems so petty, and juvenile, but there was something about my mindset back then - that camaraderie, that spirt of tactics, risk, and adventure that made me feel so incredibly, incredibly alive when I was otherwise numb to the world. I'm not saying I'm going to slap on the face paint and dig my old BB gun out of the closet, but I wish that I could find that sense of thrill and adventure once again, because even though I've forgotten all about it, I've missed it ever since.