No. I don't really show it all the time.
Yes, I've got hardly any tolerance for things that get on my nerves, and yes, the list is quite long.
Yes, I do act out when I'm not enjoying myself.
...That's not what I'm talking about.
With my third anniversary of enlistment coming up in roughly one month, I've had a lot of questions on my mind. This is going to be the half-way point for me. In another three years, I can hang up my boots (although it doesn't seem practical, seeing as how they fit just perfectly under the bed) and leave the military for good. But is that what awaits me? I'm not sure.
Anyhoo, this epiphany of my happiness came to me as I was sitting on the beach in the middle east. I realized that I'm fortunate I've got a great assignment full of unique experiences back in the states. I realized that I have a family that cares about me back at home, despite the fact I try to deny they exist sometimes. I also realize that while I may be friendly with hundreds of folks, I've got 20 something people in my life that I consider good friends. If it wasn't for me joining, I wouldn't have met over half of them. All of these things combined make me think I've got a pretty fair hand in life.
My friends in DC are incredible people. There aren't many people out there who would make you waffles the morning after you throw up on their husband on your 21st birthday. There also aren't many people who would offer up free tickets to DC United matches frequently, or simply look after the young naive boy who just kind of showed up one day and never left.
I also have a good group of friends back from Pennsylvania. While most are still at home, many have scattered throughout the world in the past three years, which is awesome. It makes me glad that I'm not the only one having all of these crazy cultural experiences, and that I'll have someone to share my experiences with, and they can counter me with their experiences. I'm also grateful I had two good friends to travel through England with.
But back to my original ramble about the military. Nearly three years ago, I was another recruit standing in a line getting my head shaved getting yelled at by a scary bald man with a silly hat, ensuring me that I'm not going to amount to anything. I would have been a fool to believe him. I have realized that in the past three years, I've done more and experienced more than I ever thought I would in the first 30 years of my life. I've been to Europe, I'm currently in Qatar, I'm stationed in the nation's capitol and work with the Presidents plane. I'm also getting ready to have my own apartment. This isn't meant to be bragging. This is just me in pure disbelief that the goofy lanky kid with a strange awkward sense of humor is slowly becoming a decent member of society. I really don't think I'm me sometimes, if that makes any sense. It makes sense to me, and that's quite ok.
This is just me realizing that I made the right choice by skipping college right out of high school. I finally feel free from every doubt that I've had of myself in the past 6 years.
So will I re-enlist in three years? Leave the military? Get a job? Go back to school? I can't say yet. If I've learned this much in three years, I can't imagine what I'm going to learn in the next three.
No comments:
Post a Comment