Drunky Swarley's blog: ""About me" doesn't tell my story"

Sometimes my temparment these days is a blessing and a curse. It has been a journey, but I'm pleasant and chill these days... a little patch of grocery slinging zen in a den of chaos in what's reportedly a sketchy neighborhood. I think people don't get the path, but the path leaves me with a disconnect that I constantly grapple with. I guess I just don't get how everyone else can't do the same thing. Anxiety and all that? I don't get it. It leaves me at a loss when someone I work with loses their cool because I have SO MUCH COOL.

I came by this cool through what can only be described as a test of my nerves and my patience. See, I was in the United States Marine Corps for four years and while I'll just come out and tell you that I've never done a shred of anything that I consider heroic or distigushing, I did manage to get yelled at a lot. So much to the point that you just can't get me by yelling. I got lit up by this legendary Sgt Major that they call "The Day Walker" one time and nothing's been the same since, I suppose.

But I had my patience tested... oh, did I have my patience tested. Upon my ascent to the rank of Corporal I was assigned a Marine that revisted every wrong I ever visited on my NCOs upon my ass threefold. This dude was fucked up like a football bat, but the most frustrating part about this guy was that he reminded me of me. I guess some of the things I said and did sunk in and the little bastard is doing alright for himself these days, but their were two moments in particular where I really wanted to kill his little ass.

I suppose in order to deal with the people I run across and understand where they struggle, I'll have to remember my own struggles. Its NICE to come out on the other side with scorch marks looking like a badass when shit finally starts coming up Milhouse, but if I'm going to kick the people I just got put in charge of down this road I'm travelling on for the good of us all, I'll have to think more about the fact that most of them are on the start of their journey, and mine is still only just moving where it needs to go and has lots left to do.