There is little time or space for frivolity on board a warship. It was easy to fall into a pattern. Some military members compare it to Groundhog Day — reliving the same 24 hours over and over and trying to make the best of it. I learned to get by with very little and to appreciate even the smallest of comforts. I remember the day I discovered that Sephora shipped to military overseas addresses. I have to confess that my steady supply of Korres coriander body water brought me great joy each morning. Its subtle fragrance was just enough to overpower the smell of jet fuel and exhaust that seemed to permanently infect my clothes.

We had several long stretches at sea — at one point, 110 days without a port call. At times, it was hard not to feel like a castaway. The monotony was sometimes unbearable, and I tried to find variation in my pattern of life: new gym routines, new books, new work projects. My best friend on the ship had been deployed several times and warned me that the holidays would be hard to endure.