Be proud of who you are and what you find enjoyable!
I grew up with a coach for a dad, so needless to say athletics were the expected norm of my activities for his son. The problem was I loved comics! I was a standout athlete in football, baseball, and wrestling, but my true passion was girls and comics. To my friends, girl were an exceptible and encouraged norm, but comics were for the geeks. So I always hid the fact from friends that I loved comics.
Out of high school I attended college and got into a fraternity, the whole while hiding my passion for comics. Four years later I'm commissioned an Infantry Officer, charged with the welfare of my rifle platoon...many of which were rabid comic fans. I would often hear them engaging in conversations after missions about Wolverine, The Punisher, and the Avengers (my favorite). The whole time being a fly on the wall, just listening. I could have trumped them any time in there knowledge or who would beat who, but I chose silence.
Fast forward 5 years and my son is born. Now I have an excuse as to why I'm collecting comics...they're for my son! Only partially true! Yes I do enjoying the bonding and shared experience of collecting with my son, but now I can say those are my sons and not own up to the fact I'm a comics book geek.
When I obtained the rank of Major it must have been the breaking point or my mid life crisis, but I finally came out of the closet about this love of collecting and it feels great! What surprised me was the number of my peers that share the same passion and were me 20 years ago...too afraid to man up about this incredible love of collecting and reading comics.
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): be proud of who are and what you love to do! If you're friends don't except it...find some new ones like I have over the past few years and now on this forum. Thanks for listening to my rants and I'll step off my soap box now.
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