The Boy That Changed My Life

Many adults, especially parents, will tell you: do not decide to do something drastic for a guy/girl. Most of the context in which they are implying this is college. I've known more than one person who has decided against going to the school of their choice simply because they wanted to be closer to their boy/girlfriend at the time. Unfortunately, most of the time these relationships don't work out in the end, and now someone is not in the place they had intended their life to be educational or locational placement wise.

Now, 7th grade me did not think this piece of advice my parents preached applied to me because college was 5 years away. But 7th grade me also had hormones and had a typical middle school crush. It was a boy from my town, friends with my brother, really funny guy, and I just fell for him. No big deal right? Well this boy didn't like me, which, looking at it now, isn't surprising. He was a year older than me, outgoing, attractive. Whereas I was an extremely unattractive 13 year old that was pathetically socially awkward and unpopular. But here I am, hopped up on hormones, desperate to fulfill my dream of being his girlfriend, no matter the cost.

Now the easiest option to do this was appeal to him by pretending to like all of the same things as him. I couldn't just stop there though, I decided spur of the moment, to join a military youth program called Sea Cadets, that he was a member of, so he could see me outside of school, being badass. At the time I had zero interest in the military. I did not like the strict rules and PT and all that scary stuff an uneducated 13 year old associates with military service. Yes, they make it very clear when you sign up that you have no obligation to join the military after high school, this was simply a Navy based program to not only learn about the Navy and other branches, but for fun. This still was not my thing. But I liked this boy, so I would join to gain his love.

Little did I know that the US Naval Sea Cadets would be the best thing that has ever happened to me thus far in life. The stories I could tell you about my experiences would amaze you and make you jealous. Many years later I am still able to use the knowledge I gained, in everyday life and in huge ways. Not only did I participate in priceless life experiences, but I learned how to be a proper leader, I became not only outgoing, but almost a completely different person. Most of all though, I gained an unbelieveable amount of respect for the men and women that serve our country. I got a hands on glimpse into the life of active duty and retired service members, whether it was a simple sit down chat, a lesson, or doing color guard for one of their funerals or memorial day services, you praise their bravery and their sacrifice.

I could go on and on for pages about what I did in this program, from bootcamp, to working on an aircraft base, to two weeks in the forest for a field operations stealth program. I could tell you about the absolutely amazing friends I made and the things I learned, or the copious amount of coursework and tests I had to do in order to advance in rank. What I can't tell you is the indescribable feeling I got to get pinned with ribbons or receiving an honor cadet award, or the nerves when being yelled at by an officer and the weight of being responsible for 40 cadets, or just how absolutely amazing my week out at sea was, resulting in the best week of my life.

There are no words to properly describe my experience in this program, a program I joined on a whim for a boy. Unfortunately, I left two years earlier than I could've because of health and other personal reasons, which was something I have since regretted. I can honestly say that the USNSCC changed my life for the better in every way possible.

As for the boy, my crush on him ended almost as soon as I entered the program. He didn't seem as important to me once I had something better to focus on. We remained friends in high school and by the time he was a junior and I a sophomore, we became closer than ever, forming a brother-sister bond. But Ill forever have my stupid crush on a stupid boy to thank for introducing me to this wonderful program and also, introducing me to myself. Now, I'm not saying to follow my footsteps and do something crazy for love, but sometimes, you just have to follow your heart.