The Burrito

As I watched Linda pack for Marine Combat training I wondered,  "Who is this confident young woman and what did the Marines do with my Linda?"

Since she’d returned from Boot Camp nine days earlier I noticed a LOT of changes, the most endearing of which was a preference for hanging around the family vs. going out with friends.

But the biggest metamorphosis?  Her packing skills.

This is how Civilian Linda would pack a suitcase.

Civilian Linda would throw loose items of clothing into a suitcase when packing for a trip.  Actually, into multiple suitcases.  She would pack 4 times as many things as she’d need because "it was faster that way."

As I watched Marine Linda pack up her gear for Combat Training my jaw dropped.

I watched in awe as she rolled her clothes into burritos.  She would start by placing underwear, a sports bra, socks and shorts on top of her t-shirt.   

Then she’d fold the sides of the t-shirt over top of the stuff and roll it tightly starting at the top of the t-shirt.   When she got to the bottom, she'd magically pulled out the end of the t-shirt to hold the burrito in place.

It was magic.

The nerd inside of me had never been prouder.

Then she asked me for a ruler.

“You want a ruler?”  I said, barely able to hide my excitement.

“Never mind,” she said.  My disappointment was short-lived as she reached for her own ruler.  She had her own ruler.

It should be noted that I couldn’t get Civilian Linda to use a ruler when she was doing algebra homework.  She’d freehand the X and Y axes. 

Oh how I tried to convince her that it would be SO MUCH EASIER to plot the line y=mx+b if she used a ruler.  

Now she had her own ruler. 

Marine Linda used her ruler to position the insignia on the front of her uniform.

(Civilian Linda may not have noticed if her t-shirt was on backwards.) 

I have to confess that Marine Linda made quite an impact on me.  

I was headed out for a walk with Becca at Harbison Lake.  But you never know when disaster might strike and a walk at Harbison Lake could turn into an overnight camping trip.

To that end, I created my own emergency burrito pack. But keeping in mind the imptorance of hydration, I made an adjustment.  

I'm sure Marine Linda would be very proud.