Motivation logo

Bullied to Blessed

How one kid heavily bullied growing up joined the military and became blessed through it all

By Clifford poindexterPublished 5 years ago 2 min read
1

When I was four years old, I was excited for school, ready to meet new people, make new friends, the whole social thing. Sadly, things took a very unexpected turn: I was constantly bullied by the kids there because I was different. I wasn’t very smart and was even suggested to go to special ed because the teachers said there was something wrong with me. Talk about a confidence killer. There I was, sitting in special ed all that time in elementary school on the shores of Hawaii. As a military brat, you can never adjust to one spot as you are constantly on the move, so Hawaii lasted for only seven years of my life.

I then moved to Illinois where the bullying only got worse, and I was having family struggles because I wasn’t that smart when it came to school, which only added fuel to the fire. The fire stayed lit until I moved to Georgia during my pre-teen years, where hazing was eventually included into the bullying. I was the skinniest kid in my classroom, so I was always the target for the bigger kids. I then moved to Alaska a year later, from middle school to high school, where negative influences really kicked in due to the people I met and then bullied me because they believed I was weird and retarded.

At that time, I only had a few friends who actually understood me, those few I missed when I left Alaska three years later to move down to Oklahoma, but had I stayed in Alaska longer, I probably would’ve committed suicide as it was just too much. Journeying through Oklahoma and Georgia, the bullying was still heavy, but lessened over time; I didn’t know how to act properly to get a good jumpstart. It wasn’t until senior year that things slowly looked up.

After I graduated high school, the military came into my life, and with it also came very negative people who came from different walks of life, so I was really on my own. When I deployed for Europe and Asia in 2012, the people I was around were the only people I knew and hated/loved. Stress levels were really high, as we were in combat and suicide was only one trigger away, as we were always loaded. Luckily, I persisted. As time passed by, I got out of the military, and here in this period of 2019 at 27, if none of that stuff happened, I would never have been this resilient, courageous, or willing to inspire others. The moral of the story here is don’t let the past affect your future; if I can get through all of this, you can too.

happiness
1

About the Creator

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.