how to be a spy!

In my wandering over streaming sites, I found Burn Notice again. I had seen some of the episodes previously and had fallen for some of the traits in this character that made me love the show MacGyver . Michael is really ingenuitive, creative and alert to every little thing around him. And he can turn a garbage can into a weapon or defense system.

Even though I’m not often a spy genre fan, (I cannot stand the Bond franchise for eg) this one hooked me. Bond is the champagne and martinis type, where Michael is the yogurt and beer type. Bond is a slut, where Michael has key relationships.

With Michael, you realize how much espionage (and counter espionage too!) is about more than money and power, though there is that as well. It is also about connections. Who you can trust, respect and who shows you loyalty when your back is against the wall. Who returns your favours. And who doesn’t ignore your calls when you’ve been discarded by your boss or agency. Who helps and when. What gets a jaded spy out of bed, or if you can. And when they see people vs missions.

Michael was an abused child who joined the military to get away from his dad, whose mother signed the forms permitting him to go at 17. Because she saw him heading down a darker path. And the cases that he helps with are often indicative of that background. A woman or child is being or has been hurt.

So how to become a spy? Find friends, care about something besides power and money and know how to put the stupidest stuff together for greatest gain. Realize that things can turn on the drop of a dime. Know that life has value.

And be independent. Because bottomline, you are the one and only one that you can rely on, when things go belly up. You won’t always have a sports car or uzi at hand when you need one.