Keep Your Hands Off My Thunder

Why does it have to be labeled an "obsession?" Why can't it be called what it is? Calling my dedication to the Navy an obsession makes me feel like I'm 13 again, having my enthusiasm for subjects downplayed and degraded as a phase. Quite honestly it makes me sound like a loon, or like all I do in my free time is watch JAG all day, and I don't appreciate it.

Perhaps my little "obsession" would be more socially acceptable if my energy was directed at fantasy football, or making 10,000th Prestige in Call of Duty, or running marathons. But no, it's the military, which one's desire to join is verbally commended but rarely understood, as if a person couldn't possibly want to join other than to get a free ride to college.

But whether you believe this or not, this interest, dare I say love, for the Navy started at 12. Yes, it has faded in and out throughout my life, but it has always been there. This is very important to me. Do I take it seriously? Of course. Do I constantly think about it? No. But the fact is that right now, not much else matters to me. Prepping for recruit training is where my focus is right now, and my random posts of ships and whatnot on my Facebook page that are my own personal motivation are so offensive to your eyeballs, imagine how I feel when you flood my newsfeed with all your "likes" of kids with cancer to "prove" you're not a heartless, cold, wretch of a human being.

I'm sorry you don't have anything in your life that doesn't interest you beyond a "like" on Facebook, or that doesn't give your life a bit of enrichment, but don't fucking go raining on my parade. This is all I've wanted in life. I am not ashamed to say I shed some tears after taking the oath of enlistment. To date, that's the proudest day of my life, and fuck if I'm going to let you steal my thunder.