Still growing.

There isn't much I regret about my choice to drop out of high school, marry, and have a family at the age of 15.
I've never felt remorseful over missing the high school scene. Honestly, I felt too old for it even then. I've never longed for the dances or activities I gave up by choosing a different path.
For a short time a few years ago I was a little sad about missing the opportunity to go to college. Until I discovered that you can still go to college even if you didn't graduate from high school. So I took a few classes and really loved them. I don't think I would have loved it as much when I was younger.
But in the past few weeks I have found one area that I am lacking in because of my early choices. I still don't regret them. But I can see how they limited my ability to learn about the world beyond the family I was happily building.
I just never looked outside the walls of our home far enough to develop an interest in politics.
I've voted once or twice. I'm registered to vote. But I usually don't because it seemed like such a big decision to make without having invested the time to do it well. And I just didn't have the time I thought it would require.
That's changing for me. These are unsettling times we live in. So a few weeks ago I decided to begin my political education. So I've been reading and reading and talking and listening and trying to figure it all out. In spite of the higher than normal level of "crazies" that exist in discussions of politics, I'm gathering information and mulling it over to see what it all means to me.
Even though choosing a new president is a GIANT decision for the country as a whole, I see now that on a personal level, it's like any other big decision. Like buying a house, having babies, getting married, getting divorced, it's really just about gathering all the facts I can and deciding what they mean TO ME. And making the best choice I can with the information I have.
My whole life has been about making the best decisions I was able to for me and mine regardless of popular opinion.
It's been working pretty well for me so far.