Where are you sleeping tonight

As I lay in my bed last night, I could not sleep. I felt uncomfortable. It probably wasn't the bed. I've got a king sized bed here and I also have with me my luxurious micro-fibre pillow and bolster. The air-conditioning is set just right and the room is dark and quiet. The perfect conditions for a good night's rest.

But I could not fall asleep.

The discomfort I felt was familiar though. I've felt it before. Its the same feeling of despair and misery I felt as I lay on the floor of the tent that was pitched on uneven ground during a Boys' Brigade field expedition in Primary school. Its that same feeling of discomfort I felt as I tried to sleep on the ground sheet at my secondary school's leaders camp. The very same feeling of displacement as I tried to sleep on a concrete slab at the running track during my polytechnic's orientation camp, and then again when I went for the Orientation group leaders' camp.

In fact, as I lay there, I felt lost and my morale was low. Exactly the way I felt when I was sleeping in the bunks during my army days' basic military training phase. Not forgetting the many miserable nights during field camps. It felt exactly like that. Its probably how Frodo felt as he slept at the gates of Mordor while on his way to destroy the ring.

So, I guess I'm out of my element. Not in my comfort zone. I'm out here, in the wild. But I've been thinking about it, I've survived each and every one of those uncomfortable situations. In fact, I always come out a stronger and better person. I also look back at those challenges with fond memories. They were personal accomplishments that made me feel like I could take on life with renewed passion and tenacity.

I'll get through this. I have to. And one day I will leave this place and laugh in the face of the desert that could not claim me. Just another one of life's funny plans for me. At least I have a big comfy bed this time.