I have sacrificed the best years of my life, my sanity, my health, my fitness, time with my kids, relationships with friends, and so many other things.
Military life is all about sacrifice, but so is being raise as a people pleaser. You sacrifice your own happiness for everyone else’s comfort. It’s exhausting and never ending until you realize that you are putting yourself last. And the people who have grown accustomed to your people pleasing won’t like it. You have to stay strong to get out of it, and not allow yourself to be sucked back in.
I wish I had moments back that I lost with my kids, but mostly I wish I had my health back. The military broke me physically and mentally. I have learned that it wasn’t that I was “weak”, it was a system that is set up to devour people. The entire military is set up to devour individuals, to make you all part of a team. But at the same time, some people are allowed to exist outside this system because they align themselves with others who think and act just like they do.
Zander's Inside Voice 
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