Foreward

The genesis of this book sprouted from my third deployment to Afghanistan. Between my time enlisted and as an officer, this deployment was my fifth major deployment. The main difference between the first four and this one was the nine month old little boy I held in my arms. I had never loved someone so deeply. As I looked at him I was struck with the most frightening scenario I could imagine: if I don’t come back, he will never know for certain how much he means to me.

The trip from Texas to Afghanistan is long and my imagination is strong. I examined every nook and cranny of that fear. I was able to dissect it and explore why it scared me and what, if anything, I could do. The details of that examination of that fear are messy, confusing, and probably only useful (and interesting) to me. But one idea wouldn’t go away.

I wondered if I could compile a set of notes or ideas. Tips. Guides. Helpful hints. Something that would definitely not replace me, but do pretty good if I am not there. 

I didn’t want instructions. They imply that I know the end result. The illustrated papers in the box know the materials, know the steps, and can lead you to a finished bookcase. I had no idea who my son would turn out to be in the future.

I did not want it to be some abstract poetry about life and meaning and time. Profundities I do not feel qualified to share and that always seem influx to me. My dynamic narrative center of gravity. He may find it interesting as a way to get to know me, and may be worth doing, but not for this idea.

I also didn’t want it to just be a list of advice. A table where he could find the event that bothered or stumped him and slide his finger over to see my advice. It sounds like the spreadsheet from hell. Plus, could I think of enough events? Who knows what the teenage version of him would have to deal with? Also, a tiny bit of complexity and the whole thing becomes useless.

I spent years reading and exploring. A more detailed account of that journey can be found here, but the punchline is that I wanted to create a book that teaches kids how to think about thinking. I wanted it to be accessible to children while they are forming ideas about thinking whether we help them or not.

That is what this book is. It is a collection of thinking tools.

Quasi bibliography here. Back to the anchor post here.