Battle Mode

I strode to work this morning with a sense of purpose, my heavy military style jacket keeping me warm and my eyes watering from the chilly wind. For just a moment, I had chosen to forget that I was making my way to George Street but instead found myself travelling through a war-torn city overrun by guerrillas. I held my duffel bag tightly pretending that it was packed with rations and not my gym trainers and day diary. I ran up a set of stairs as fast as I could, imagining a spray of bullets roaring out from behind, and almost had to restrain myself from dramatically ducking for cover behind a trash can.

You see the last two books I have read focus on battle-weary lands and the struggle to survive. One is Love in a Torn Land which focuses on the true story of Joanna of Kurdistan and the other is one I am still reading; John Marsden's Tomorrow When the War Began. The books are quite thought-provoking; how would I fare in these situations? Would I crumble under the pressure or would I battle on and become a hero?

Something like this would truly put your character to the test and those around you as well. I could already imagine some of my friends who were definitely not cut out for life in the wild. Some were just too precious and would be too uncomfortable at the thought of just perspiring let alone being stuck out in dangerous territory, deprived of a fresh shower for days on end.

So if a war was being waged on Australia (God forbid) what kind of warrior would I be? Let's explore this exciting but very fictional concept...

Ask any of my friends and they will all tell you that I keep my wits about me when I'm travelling from point A to point B. Some may call it paranoia but I like to refer to it as 'street smart.' If it's after dark and I'm walking home, I will always ensure that I'm not talking into my phone or listening to music; you can never allow yourself to become distracted when in an unsafe area. I will also routinely check who's behind me and depending on their physical appearance I will either continue walking or let them pass in front of me so they don't have the element of surprise should they wish to attack me. This would come in handy if I were going into battle. Alert, sensitive to my surroundings and on the defence, I would be ready for anything.

To-do lists, planning and strategy are things I do for fun. Usually my talents are wasted on things such as coordinating a night out where I plan on how to avoid an ex-boyfriend and devise a back up plan should my girlfriends and I want to bail from a club. My friends find this tedious, unnecessary and time-consuming but it's always great to have options that can propel you forward when the night loses momentum.

Another thing that could work to my advantage are my leadership qualities. Okay so that's just a euphemism for bossy but hey it works whichever way you like to look at it. I love commanding a group of people, delegating and taking control. I'm not afraid to be blunt and unemotional when it comes to getting the job done. 'You there, you have no physical strength whatsoever but your nervous energy could come in handy. Your job will be to keep watch during the night for any enemies approaching!' I could see it happening now... I would turn my little group of misfits into brave freedom fighters!

And amongst all the strife and misery I would remain the eternal optimist. I am already very positive and upbeat in my personal life; if faced with tragedy I would do everything to keep up the morale of the group. I can be very perceptive when it comes to the way others feel and I would use it to my advantage, encouraging those who needed some kind words and offering a joke to another who just wanted to smile.

I could see it all happening, me dressed in my camouflage attire with two black stripes racing down either cheeks, Rambo style. Outfit consisting of something Lara Croft would wear and the physique to match. My time at the gym spent on cardio and weights would pay off as I would glide along the chaotic streets escaping gun-fire.

Now food wise; I'm the kind of person that will eat anything and everything, I would not complain if all I had to survive on was bread and butter. I'd eat food regarding it as fuel for my body that I was using in order to fight a war for democracy and for the safety of my people. Oh I mean 'the' people. Easy to get carried away...

And as I write this blog entry I can't help but chuckle to myself, for all day I have complained about the lack of heating in my building (any temperature that requires a cardigan or more is too cold) I keep thinking of skipping the gym and instead going for a luscious dinner and I'm looking forward to going home so I can curl up in bed and finish reading my book!

Maybe I'm not cut out for the life of a solider? Maybe had this little fantasy I created turned into a reality I would be the one with a blanket over my head willing everything to go away? Well I guess I'll never know, but what I do know is that I'm more than happy to live vicariously through these brave young characters in the pages of my book and only enter their world in the safe realm of my imagination.