Day 13 Snakes Molt

Just had a quick chat with my husband. He has to go to bed soon. He has another early day tomorrow. The dive shop has been very busy and he has some tourists to take on two dives in the morning.

I imagine his dive gear hanging under our lanai. His boots, fins, BCD, mask, and snorkel meticulously rinsed and carefully arranged for efficacious drying. His dive suit attentively hung so no stray wrinkles or unnecessary folds are visible. I smile at the thought of his plastic bin where he stores and hauls all his dive gear in. He has painstakingly personalized it with stickers and morale patches that speak loudly of Tom. His fastidious personality personifies the pride he takes in what he does and how he represents himself. On occasion, he'll slip and call his dive suit his uniform. In a manner of speaking, it is . . . now . . .

For 14 years, he took pride in wearing a different uniform. For 14 years, he meticulously cared for different gear and tools of the trade.

Almost exactly a year ago, he began the painstaking process of separating from the Navy along with thousands of other sailors who would be joining the ranks of the civilian world. He was going to be yanked out of his comfort zone, to a world he's known for 14 years, and thrown into another where life is unfamiliar and the expectations are unknown.

Together, we took a leap of faith into the unknown. A year ago, he couldn't imagine not donning his Navy uniform and going to work like he has done for 14 years. He couldn't imagine himself being anything and doing anything else.

Tomorrow, he'll wake up early, drive to the ocean, and put on a new uniform. When snakes molt, they leave behind their old skins and emerge shiny and new and more beautiful.

Tom molted and emerged better than ever, more than he himself thought possible. In much less time than the average, he became Dive Master and is now taking tourists out to an ocean he previously had no knowledge of.

What could be better than having the ocean he loves as his office?

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The picture above was taken by a newspaper photographer a few months ago for an article that featured veterans who couldn't find work. It was a good piece. I cheated on this post since it isn't a picture I've taken; but it is such a great representation of the thoughts I want to share.