Great musical choices! I rarely remember to include those in my stories.

When I was in school, so long ago, I remember one instance where I didn’t feel safe, luckily I had friends that came to my rescue.

Being short, I always got teased, most of the time in a good-natured way, which I don’t think today’s youth know how to discern good-natured from bad. Anyway, this one time in the gym, I got bullied by a girl and never understood the reason why. She cornered me, said a few rude things and then my friends were suddenly there telling her to back off. I feel blessed that I had friends to come to my rescue, I understand that many kids do not. However, I feel that these days, our kids are too coddled, too protected, and never learn how to deal with situations on their own. When I joined the military, I still got teased, yet I learned real quick how to deal with it and how to be tough and stand up for myself. I was outnumbered, I had no choice. Then later, actually, from the beginning, I fought discrimination, sexual harassment, and more. Still, I persevered. I’m proud of the woman I am today, the growth I experienced due to being left alone to learn how to deal with situations and not have my parents jump in to always save me from the bullies of the world.