Veteran's Day...for a day or 2!

This weekend, I realized what being an American meant again on a trip down to Annapolis to see my man in uniform. Being a New Yorker, leaving the city can be a daunting experience when you haven't been "outside the city walls" in quite sometime. But for most of us, traveling is apart of who we are as NYers- and for me especially, experiencing new cultures. At times, many of us forget that there is great culture here within our own country that we have not yet explored! From the start of my trip, I began to realiz that the armed services is a culture within itself. After a canceled flight out of Laguardia (shocking, I know) I sprinted in my new heels with suitcase in toe, over to customer relations. There, I began to tell the woman that I was dating someone in the armed services and because it was Veteran's day weekend- I needed to be on the next flight out to DC. Her demeanor was instantly changed by my statement and my tush was on the next flight out to Reagan airport leaving in 20 minutes. Once I made it to Annapolis- I got the chance to see some of the men and women that attended the Marine Ball on Thursday night that was hosted at the Naval Academy. All dolled up in their dress blues (wrong term here I know, I stand corrected) with their wives in floor length ball gowns, I was exposed even more to a world I knew not much about. As a group, everyone was so happy to be around each other, cheering, chanting, and having a general sense of pride for who they were and what they did. Talking with one Commander (again, I am new to the terms here!) I felt his sense of directed communication, as his eyes did not unlock mine while we spoke. You could feel his honest intention for listening, as well as the sense of respect he had for himself and those around him. As my truly wonderful weekend went on, I learned from each person that I spoke with- the amount of physical time and hard work that goes into just being a student at the Naval Academy. When many of us find ourselves complaining about not wanting to go to the gym, or taking a cab because of a far walk- these men and women are running, swimming, and quite frankly busting ass hours a day. It gave me a great new perspective on success. In anything, mental toughness and preparedness are the key to success (along with hard work and organization of course). But having a true heart for what you do and believing in your cause makes the rewards that much greater :)
xoxo AA