Military Brat

I was a military Brat, My father was an enlisted man in the U.S. Air Force, I grew up on Military bases and or military communities in town. Although it was a traditional house, with a conservative father it wasn't totalitarian, my mother would never have allowed that. In my teens, my mother and I had many "discussions" about the world.

My dad got out when I was 10 years old. It seemed we moved just as much after the Air force as we did when he was in. I was always the "New Kid". Always on the outside looking in. This creates an unusual perspective. A child learns to not form close attachments, he/she learns to rely on his own judgement. Too ofter people would judge me without knowing anything about me. It is easy to paint the new kid as "Other", not one of us. I learned at an early age to not care what other people thought of me. To realize that they were not very intellegent and quite often, very narrow minded.

I learned that my happiess could not be based upon other people, but had to come from within. While there have been many times I have been unhappy in life, I always realized that it was up to me to change my situation. I think this is one of the most valuable lessons I ever learned.

I believe that most of us know when things are "right" and when they are "wrong". Avoid those situations that bring on the "wrong". If you in the wrong situation, figure out what the right one would be, figure out the path to the right situation and start moving down it. You will notice immediately how much better you feel about yourself once you are headed in the right direction.