Showing Up, One Step at a Time
This week, I checked a couple of things off my personal “life challenge” list — and lived to tell the tale. I finished my 12-week gym program (yes, the one where I discovered muscles I didn’t know existed), and I attended the Veterans Day assembly in Davenport. One of those accomplishments comes with sore quads, the other with a lump in your throat. Both came with lessons I’ll carry forward.
Even though I’m still in the National Guard and not technically a veteran, Veterans Day always makes me stop and think about the people who came before me — relatives, friends, and fellow service members who sacrificed in ways I can barely imagine. When I signed my enlistment papers, I became the first woman in my family to wear the uniform. I was a Detroit teenager desperate for a challenge, over 210 pounds, and clueless about what I was getting myself into. My mom, understandably terrified, was on the phone reciting Hail Marys through the recruiter’s speakerphone. I nearly became a combat medic before she vetoed the plan with divine intervention.
Basic training and AIT changed me more than I realized at the time. My body, my mindset, even my patience transformed — suddenly, I had to reconcile the new version of myself with the world I’d left behind. Coming home after nearly a year away was a shock in the best and worst ways. Everything familiar felt… different. I had changed, and I needed to figure out how to fit back into my old life without losing what I had gained.
Fast-forward to now, and that same “keep going, even when it sucks” mentality got me through the gym program. There were days I felt like a superhero running miles and lifting weights, and days I felt like a potato rolling around the gym floor. Yet, I showed up. I walked Winnie for extra cardio when I couldn’t face a treadmill, and I pushed through soreness, stress, and even a cold or two. The lessons from the military — discipline, persistence, and stubbornly refusing to quit — were quietly present in every session.
At the Veterans Day assembly, I thought about friends who have deployed, served decades, or never came home. I thought about the small daily sacrifices that feel invisible, and the big ones that leave permanent marks. I may not have experienced the extremes of service, but I understand now what it means to commit to something bigger than yourself and carry that responsibility with honor.
Losing 28 pounds isn’t the same as marching in formation under a blazing sun. But it was my own little test of discipline, endurance, and mental toughness — a reminder that growth comes in many forms. Whether it’s a mile on the treadmill, a uniform, or showing up for life when it’s hard, the secret is simple: just keep showing up. Progress doesn’t have to be glamorous — it just has to be consistent.
So here’s to the everyday victories: finishing the gym program without crying in the back room, keeping perspective, and remembering that sometimes, showing up is enough.
One step at a time, we keep moving forward — sore muscles, stubborn brain, and all.