Rainbows

One thing about deployments, like rain, is that they are temporary. You know that they'll end, and at the end, there will be a rainbow. 

A Rainbow the Other Day by Barracks

Whether it be the money saved, experiences shared, skills developed, or bonds formed, there is something positive that everyone can take from a deployment.

When put into an office job for the deployment, I was initially deeply disappointed. I thought to myself, "Maybe I shouldn't have tried to move up in the ladder. Then maybe I'd still be back in my regular unit and out of all of this bureaucracy and 'boring' 'big army' type stuff."

The other day, however, I realized how much of an opportunity this could be. I get to work with a lot of new software, such as Microsoft Sharepoint and several other tools that enable fast and accurate communication and knowledge management. I also get to stay up to date and improve my skills in the rest of the Office Suite, chat programs, and other applications that allow an organization as large as the Army to ensure that information is flowing to the right people in a timely fashion. 

Overall, the 'Operations' experience that I will develop throughout the deployment is my rainbow. The tools, train of thought, and discipline in information storage and sharing will be useful to me for years to come. 

So what in your life is like the rain right now, and how can you prepare for the rainbow?