Soldier

In the past I've thought about enlisting in the military. And I must confess, those thoughts come back from time to time. It's not a small, trifling, fleeting idea. It's something that ultimately, not to sound cliché, means standing for God and my country. And I like the idea of going elsewhere in the world, and fighting for justice.

At this point, I think it would be easiest to separate from everything that is "normal" in my life. I'm not married, no kids, no mortgage, and plenty of opportunity before me. Things aren't exactly how I pictured when I was 19 going on 20. Growing up isn't some ten items or less express lane to success. I'm learning that cultivating tremendous amounts of hard work, with sometimes no pay off, makes for character building. I think willingly going down another hard road will prove to be rewarding, knowing what I'm getting into. Knowing that there's a possibility of me dying. Knowing I am not leaving anyone behind.

It's a wild thought, and I'm writing this on my iPhone, so I should go. But for all I know, I could wake up in a dramatically different situation tomorrow. God knows.