Life Lessons

Kelly: I’ve been seeing clients on a regular basis for the past two weeks and have a new perspective on life, love, and the military.

LIFE: I’m continually surprised that individuals here don’t want to travel and experience Europe. Instead, they dwell on the gloomy weather and the rules that prohibit everything from shopping on Sundays to driving. What is it that makes some yearn to travel while others yearn to keep their feet as firmly planted as possible? Genetics…not so much. I have been bitten by the travel bug and have engineered ways to see the country and now the world (or Greater Europe at the very least). My sisters are both happy to hold their ties close to home and have both made successful careers and lives for themselves near where we were born and raised. Matt and his sister are travel opposites, too. So, if it is not genetics, then the environment? Am I searching for something that my sisters have already found?

LOVE: I take so much for granted in my relationship with my family and with my husband. Love, nurturing, and a safe environment…not too much to ask, or so I thought. It is amazing what happens in the absence of love, nurturance, and safety.

MILITARY: The military does amazing things for some…providing support, stability, structure, and a chance to be independent. Some excel and thrive, creating amazing experiences and mentoring the aforementioned love-devoid young recruits. Others crumble under the rigidity, rules, and limitations.

What I’m learning is that life is about finding your niche. It is about pushing yourself in the areas that are primed for expansion. Life is about learning. Without learning about yourself, happiness remains an illusion..a branch just out of reach…the hidden pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. More importantly, life isn’t only about reaching the next branch of finding the gold-filled pot, it is about the process of finding your niche. If you can’t see the joy in the journey, there is no light in life.