Since I've Been Gone...

There have been many changes that I have endured over the past year.

I have graduated college, joined the U.S. Navy, endured 10 weeks of bootcamp, trained rigorously for 6 months at A-School to become a Mass Communication Specialist (MC) and have been assigned to my next command aboard an aircraft carrier...all that being said, life has certainly changed.

I went from having a house full of knick-knacks to what can fit in a seabag and suitcase. I went from long, poetic writing to succinct, to the point. I went from having a closet full of fashion to only a few hangers worth. I went from cooking every meal to accepting what is before me. I have went from the monotonous, comfortable, civilian lifestyle to the uncomfortable, adventurous, military side of life.

This is what I signed up for, right? Well, I suppose. Honestly, I would not want it any other way (maybe a little, just between me and you). Nevertheless, the people I have met, friends I have made, the writer and woman I have become were shaped by the uncomfortable.

What is the uncomfortable? It is walking into a room of higher ranking individuals (civilian's CEOs) and not being known. It is being an expected expendable for the military. It is going to a whole new command and starting from scratch. It is making a home out of a rack and few possessions. It is learning to find your voice amidst the background noise. It is finding your confidence after leaving all you know. Alas, here I am, searching and writing to communicate the various emotions that uncomfortable change can bring: fear, loneliness, insecure and stuck...while also sparking creativity, confidence, strength and resilience.

When holding a plank or a leaning rest, I shake. My muscles are like "Leah, when will this end?" After practicing and many repetitions, things begin to get easier. It is in the uncomfortable where we become stronger. Since joining the military and facing the uncomfortable, I have become stronger and a better version of myself that continues to grow----all because of the uncomfortable.