Friendship and Diversity

I'm a military brat, and damn proud of it. Growing up, in that way of life, is something I will never regret and something I never take for granted. I've been places others will never get the chance to go and done things others will never get the chance to do.

I also learned to make friends quickly, but at the same time, you subconsciously hold those people at a distance without even thinking of it. I mean, why put yourself in a position to have your heart broken every three years (or more) when it's time for someone to move? Well, as I've gotten older, and been out of the military lifestyle longer and longer, I hold my friends closer and closer, perhaps because it becomes harder to make them?

I had the opportunity, this week, to attend some training in Florida. I never intended to make friends, that wasn't the purpose of my visit, but perhaps it's second nature to me, and I found it difficult to not bond with some of my classmates.

Here you have 22 women, all thrown together in one class for a week, away from home, and talking about some controversial things. With 22 different opinions, backgrounds, nationalities, histories, etc. it seemed like a recipe for a giant mess. However, over the course of the week, I found myself bonding with some of these remarkable women and making friends. We had a common goal - to understand diversity in the workplace and to work to make our workplaces an enjoyable and fair place for all to come work. Simple? Not quite!

I, like many of my classmates, had some serious frustration this week, with both people and the subject matter. My frustration with certain people came from not understanding where they were coming from, not knowing their history, their abilities, etc. What I found was that, yes we're all different, but we all struggle and, while I didn't plan on making friends or becoming attached to anyone this week, it was hard for me to say goodbye to some of my new friends. I plan to stay connected with some of them, but even if those plans fall apart, those women left footprints on my heart and I will never forget them.

My hope is that they all go forward and enjoy success in their lives and their careers, and that perhaps one day, we'll meet up again, because they were all truly remarkable!