I’m in my 30’s and I’ve never lived alone, as much as I love going out into the woods hiking and camping it’s usually only for hours or two days at the most. I’m about to return home after being intermittently (but far more often than not) gone for two years. During this time I have been surrounded by thousands of people, living on small overpopulated bases with 20,000-30,000 other troops. I’ve become very used to having people around me; I’ve lived with as many as four of us in one room during this time period as well. I have to admit I’m more than a little nervous about the prospect of going home because I know it means finding a place to live which will most likely mean being by myself. I suppose it’s normal to have a little bit of apprehension towards the idea of something new. It’s not just the living situation either; I have to start over completely when I get home. Obviously I’ll have friends and family around but I’m starting over in my 30’s and it’s a little bit daunting. The last two years have been financial security, independence, a job, food, a place to live, all the while being surrounded by people in a community that always has something to do. I’m leaving an entire world I’ve become accustomed to, cafeterias, laundry services, world class gyms, MWR’s, USO’s, and a myriad of other services that have just become a part of my daily life. While I won’t miss carrying a weapon everywhere I go or putting on body armor to go to work those things have become a part of my daily life as well. Now I’ll go home to a quiet little country community and try to find a new kind of daily life. I guess starting over is an ominous sounding way of describing what’s about to happen. Maybe I should think of it more as evolving. So I’m in my 30’s and my life is about to evolve, I have no idea what new evolution will ultimately come about, I guess all I can do is make every attempt to be a daily inspiration to myself and decide that I can be happy. It might take some adjusting but I think I can handle it.
