This afternoon I spent a few hours reading The Prelude, by William Wordsworth, which I highly recommend. Wordsworth poetically spoke of the time in his life that made him the poet-person he was; during his childhood he would wander alone through woods, he would play in the river, he would simply sit by a tree and daydream. Nature, it seems, was a constant beloved friend in his childhood.
At times, though, I found my mind wandering away. I found myself thinking about the things in my childhood that molded my personality, my morals, things that fed my imagination and shaped me into the person I am (or, rather, the person I think I am) today. I must say that, despite my fond memories of the time when I lived with my mother, grandparents, my uncle and cousin Steve, the time when I thought I could feed trees with infusions I prepared, the time when I would write in the garden, and the time when uncle Eduardo told me stories about Santa Claus; I suppose that the strongest influence in everything I am comes from my time at Military School.
I was very young and shy when the Army took me and they soon told me (and my mother..!) that, although I was only 12, I had to learn to be responsible for myself, my mistakes and my decisions. It can be quite shocking for a mother to hear that her own daughter, who was nothing more than a scrawny easily scared little girl, had to start facing the world like an adult. She soon learned, fortunately, to let them teach me how to be strong, how to handle my frustrations on my own, how to embrace honor, discipline and loyalty. They taught me, above all, to always tell the truth, no matter how many problems telling the truth might bring. Military School taught me that I shouldn't fear competition. They taught me to respect everyone around me. They taught me to observe silently, to stand still in contemplation of the world and to speak up when my eyes met injustice.
It's been 5 years since I left them, but I suppose it was only a physical departure. I bring them within my heart, I bring that military education in my veins, I am a product of that culture. Although I could never justify killing even to defend one's nation and therefore could never have a military career, because only God has the right to take one's life and to end one's mission on Earth, I suppose there is a lot more in the Army that only people who experienced such doctrine would be able to list. I am thankful for the time spent with them.
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