When I was setting off from home with my little bundle of dreams and a huge reservoir of energy, I was aiming to put up a big, beautiful life full of abundance and blessing for others.
I expected to launch directly to that outcome from the very beginning. I expected, because of my inexperience, that childhood, youth, high school, and a bit of college meant that I was expected to go out there and do the ideal plan I had for life. A good and noble endeavor based on solid principles and staunchly held beliefs.
I would tell twenty-year-old me that I should hold loosely to my plan, but that I should focus on learning emotional control. When I got frustrated and confused about how the real world was, I would have told myself to take some time to slow down and reflect. I would have held my hand through strong emotional storms and said, “this is part of the thing called life.” I would have given myself a heads-up about how to regulate my emotional responses and carry on with resilience.
For this purpose alone, it may have been better for me to join the military at a much younger age for the purpose of learning, sculpting away character weaknesses, and confronting the inner turmoil stirred up by the military’s methods of drawing out areas that need to be amended.
I wish I had not let anyone’s words, actions, or frowny faces discourage me. I always regretted ignoring my own thoughts and intuition. I wish I had more often stood my ground, respectfully, even when other people thought differently. I wish I had somehow turned off the thought fountain that was always telling me that I was probably wrong.
I would tell myself that before I could become a strong, full tree with branches reaching to the clouds, abundant leaves, squirrel holes, birds’ nests, and little swings for children in my boughs, I needed to grow deep roots of character, seek out sources of water, and ways to obtain sustenance. I needed to work and wait to establish the unseen base of stability underneath the surface, in my mind and heart, so that I could stand strong and stable for the future.
On the other hand, I would not want to in any way redirect my path such that I missed meeting my husband. He is why I have to honestly say that regardless of all unpleasant life experiences, I have no regrets since those steps resulted in me becoming his wife.
Heart Soul Mind Strength 
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