in reply to @birdielox Okay girlfriend. I have been thinking about you for the past few days, as your posts resonated with me. I may be 62, but I am not some "old lady" but I am a "bag of bones" and I do have quite a life experience. I have not forgotten how awful my teenage years were for me, and how they shaped me to become the terrific person I think I am today. It took a lot of hard work to get to this place, but I got here and I want to tell you a thing or two, not chastising, but some things for you to think about, considering that you are "the future" generation, the generation responsible for getting this country back on track and also ensuring that more women have voices in our government and things of that nature. You can do this. You are strong and smart, and you should give yourself more credit.
I was watching Norah O'donnell tonight, yes, the anchorwoman on CBS. She is not only drop dead gorgeous, but she is also a very kind and compassionate individual, who I think is a superstar. Tonight she interviewed a 21 year old woman who joined the Marines to prove something to herself, and it was such an inspirational story, that I highly recommend that you try to find tonight's news hour. Maybe on YouTube. This young woman plans to be the first female Marine to compete in the next Winter Olympics in bobsledding, which so far is unheard of. As I was watching the segment, I thought about you. Why? Well, if there is one mistake I made in my life, and something I always wanted to do, but could not because of my stupid hearing problem, is join the military, and here is why. You don't have to commit to a lifetime of service in order for the military to pay your college tuition, if money is an issue. One only has to serve 4 years and after that you can decide whether to re-enlist or not. Think about it. Not only would you be a superstar, you would have your college tuition paid for because of your service. You would be a real hero. Perhaps you may be thinking, "what the "f" is this person telling me?" I am telling you this because I do not want you to make the same mistakes I made as I travelled through life as a free spirit, thinking I would live forever. As one gets older, they often begin to think about certain decisions they made on this road of life, and how things "might" have been different had they chosen a different path. I am not saying that I regret my entire life, because up until now I am fairly satisfied with the way I turned out, the things I do for others and things of that nature. I am an old soul and I know many things that one day you too will know. However satisfying my life is today, I do have regrets, just as well all do, And while we cannot turn back the clocks of time, there is always (at least for me) a feeling that I missed out on something, and I don't want this to happen to you. You are brave and smart, you can do anything you want as long as you have the right mindset to do so. In any event, the young woman interviewed this evening said she wanted to be an inspiration to all young women, thus this message to you. Even if you think joining the military is garbage, that is fine, at least try to find the segment from tonight, because even I as a 62 year old, found her to be exceptionally inspirational, and perhaps you will too. By the way, the female marine looked like a fashion model.