Life

Some of you know that life and I don't get along very well all the time. A lot of you know that I am often frustrated that I see my friends(read: y'all) living or getting from life what I've always wanted.

Now, let's stop the train right there. Because, really, I've wanted two different lives. On the one hand, I'd kill for what I see(in my mind, this is not a judgement on anyone) as the 'average' life. Go to college, meet a girl, settle into a career, happily ever after, blah blah, blah. You know that story. That's what I saw myself doing when I graduated High School. That has not happened. The other life i wished for was to be someone wild and adventurous. You know, a bounty hunter, or a war hero, or a US Marshall, or something else that's super awesome. That didn't happen either.

So i sit here in this life I'm living, and I envy my cousin, who starts Army Special Forces selection today, and I envy all my friends who are getting engaged and married and buying houses and all that other stuff I wanted. While I look at my life and say 'what the hell?' because I'm nearly 23 and I live with my parents, I'm a freshman in college, I'm older than most of the seniors at my college, etc.

But.

Then i get a friend who hits me across the face and says 'look at it this way.' And he shows me that While I haven't gotten what I wanted, maybe I got what I needed.I learned life skills- I can make espresso, I can fix most things on an automobile, I know basic and some advanced first aid, I can reliably use most any firearm, I know about supply lines and logistics and how to be prepared, how to evaluate risk, respond quickly and effectively in stressful situations, and probably a bunch of other stuff that I can't even think of right now. The work I did overseas would probably get me a better than Entry Level position with any company that deals with supply and/or shipping. I have established my name as a capable soldier in more than a couple high-level Army circles. I have volunteered, served, led, planned, organized, executed, succeeded, failed, been praised, been reprimanded, and I have always taken responsibility for my actions, whether there results were good or bad.

My life was not what I would have foreseen, and definitely not what I would have picked for myself, given that ability.It has been an adventure, full of twists and turns and surprises, And I would change very little of the past 5 years.

So i raise my glass to you, life. Let us see what you have in store, for I am not sitting still.