You know what really grinds my gears? People who try to make me feel like staying in the military is the only option I have to be successful in life. I get this from civilians, current, and ex military people. Its bothered me for years but this particular flair up was caused by one of Lorenzo’s retired First Sergeants. Lorenzo decided to have company to watch some college football games and I had some online classes to do (for the military). Lorenzo stepped out to the store so I entertained his guest until he returned. This guy has been in the Marine Corps for 27 years and just retired earlier this year. I was telling him that I plan to retire next year because its no longer benefiting me to stay and he sat there and made a case to disagree with me!
While I get that it has really benefited a good amount of people over the years, how can you sit here and try to act like its beneficial for ME when you don’t even know what my career plans are???? Once I talked about my goals, I guess it made more sense but COME ON. My experience is MINE to judge and if I say I’m done, I’m done. My father used to do this to me too and it really gets under my skin. For example, I will say something like “I will hit my 20 year mark in 2019” and he will follow up with, “Yeah and then you’ll do 10 more”. Um, excuse me Sir? You’ve never served a day in your life and you probably don’t even know what I do in the military but yet you want to tell someone to stay? Please go have a seat. Or the people that I currently work with or used to work with will make comments like “You’re going to stay”, “You know you’re not going to leave,” “don’t you want to get promoted,” “Its easy money why would you give that up?”, “don’t you want to do this MOB?” No, no, no, no and Hell NO!
I really don’t understand why people do that. If someone told me they wanted to go I was usually the one encouraging it. Yes its the reserves, and yes its only once a month but it can really take a toll on your private life. I recently showed my sister the military pay chart and she was actually pissed that I stayed in for as long as I have. The first thing she said to me was, “You mean to tell me, all these years you’ve missed with us and this is all they were paying you?” Well, technically I was getting paid less, but that’s neither here nor there and this job really isn’t about the money. I just hate when people try to make me feel like my decisions aren’t my own. Hell, if I would’ve listened to other people I wouldn’t have joined in the first place! And now that its almost time for me to leave people are telling me to stay; this is so backwards.
Patrice is going to do what is best for Patrice, period. I can’t let other people’s opinions direct my life because more than half the time they don’t even know what they’re talking about. The only opinion I’d ever asked for was Lorenzo’s and he supports my decision, so that’s all the validation I need to move forward.
Y’all need to leave me alone.
Everyday Patrice 