An Old Flame

     So I went to my old Marine Corps Recruiting Station today to drop off a few of those red warrant/award jackets that are of no further use (a lesson I learned from GySgt James Eric Puckett), and while I drove home I had nice period of reflection that I think some of you can relate to; that the Marine Corps is like how some people see their ex-girlfriends.

     Sure it was fun and exciting at first. You tried new things together. Took a couple trips. Experimented in ways you weren't always completely comfortable with. But you were young and in love with the idea of who they were, and maybe you needed someone to help out with the rent and groceries anyway.

     As you got more comfortable with each other though, you started needing to do more and more to impress them. You had to dress better. Get in better shape. Make better decisions in the company of friends. It was challenging. And while in some ways you look back on that time as the most personally developing period of your relationship, it was also the beginning of the end...

     ..Because now you're getting to a level that's difficult to maintain. And every little mistake they are on your ass.

     "Why can't you do the dishes!"

     "Where's the god damn morning report!"

     But you give it your best shot anyway, because dammit, this is a commitment and maybe they are the best that your going to do (because let's face it, everyone thinks they're hot) and I'm going to keep at it because maybe this is just a rough patch.

     And then they cheat on you.

     You keep it together for a while, but in the end its inevitable. This isn't going to be a lifelong commitment anymore. You're heart just isn't in it anymore. And you split up.

     But after a while, after you've moved on with your life, you're going through your musty shit and realize that you have a few of her red warrant/awards jackets(...?) that maybe they might want back.

     It's awkward at first, but pretty soon you're making jokes because you guys have your own little language from your time together in a world that only the two of you understand. But while you're happy to have stopped by and said hello, you know in your heart you made the right decision.