Over the course of my Navy career, I found an outlet in writing. During deployments, visits to liberty ports, and quiet moments while on duty, I wrote whenever the opportunity presented itself. Sometimes it was a few paragraphs; other times, it was enough to move a story forward. Between the demands of service and the distance from home, writing gave me a place to put my thoughts and explore the stories taking shape in my imagination.
I saved those manuscripts on my computer desktop, where they waited while my military responsibilities continued. Each file represented time I had made for something that mattered to me. I knew I could not give every manuscript the attention it needed then, but I kept writing. My plan was to return to those stories once I was finished with sea duty for good, edit them carefully, and submit them to my publishing company.
Becoming an author began long before I submitted a manuscript. It began each time I opened my computer and chose to write, even with an unfinished story waiting and limited time available. Those moments helped me discover an interest I could carry with me from one assignment to the next. Writing became a steady part of my life through years of movement and responsibility.
When sea duty finally ended for me, I could give those pages the attention I had always intended. Opening the files brought me back to the places and circumstances in which I had written them. There was work ahead revisions, corrections, and decisions about what to submit but there was also satisfaction in knowing I had followed through.
Finding your way can happen gradually, through something you keep returning to because it gives you room to think, create, and express yourself. For me, that was writing. Somewhere between deployments, liberty ports, and duty, I found my way. I found my outlet, and I gave myself the chance to become an author.
Now, after 30 years of service, retirement is just seven months away. As that day approaches, I think about the life I have lived, the people I have served alongside, and the stories I still want to tell. Writing will be part of what comes next, with more time to give those ideas the attention they deserve. It is time to close this chapter of my life’s book and begin writing a new one.
