The soldier and I have recreated the same conditions now as we had when we were kids on many fronts. For one thing, he does not come near my job.

When we were kids, I literally forbade him to come to my job (I was a bartender). I used to talk and tell stories all day long… I was completely free and did not want to feel the restriction I do when in his presence, through no fault of his own. It was this and the fact that when you are a bartender, men stare at you all day. I figured he wouldn’t like that so it would just be easier if he stayed away.
Continue reading Recreating The Past, Hologram Fears And Pride

You hear nasty things about pride, but having Venus in Leo I think it’s attractive. This is the soldier talking.

“Do you know that when we met, I was making $312 a month? My kid can’t believe that. He can’t believe that was all I made but that was what I made all right. I was a private, P. And I was a slick sleeve! I didn’t even have my first stripe when I met you. Do you realize this? I had no stripes when I met you. Not a one!”

Having no idea why this would matter, I laughed. I am so removed from the military, it’s not even funny. I know he’s been awarded virtually every medal they make since. I’ve seen pictures things of a types drip from his uniform.

“And boy when I got that first stripe… I was crazy. Remember this? Of course I had to get it sewn on right away and then I went walking around like I was some kind of big shot. I did. I went around the base with that one stripe… my mosquito wing it’s called, and I went looking for people who didn’t have one. I went looking for slick sleeves and made them call me sir.” He laughed. “Yeah, I’d go up to some slick sleeve, point at that one stripe… I’d point at my mosquito wing and say, you see that? Do you see that? You better call me sir! I’m not a private anymore, that’s Private First Class to you!”

I roared.

“Yeah, hell. I was nineteen. I had that low rent red bike. I had an Italian girlfriend. I had that mosquito wing. I had pants so starched they’d stand up by themselves and that was it. I thought I’d done it. I was a success in this world!”

He had transiting Saturn conjunct Pluto at the time.

Have you ever felt this kind of pride in yourself?