Fast fact: Our blog will publish it’s 3000th (yes, you read that right!) blog post in 2023. All of the content is brought to you by empowered experience volunteer bloggers and insightful expert bloggers. You name a topic that a military spouse or organization could write about, we’ve probably got it. Current topics include PCS, deployment, parenting, finances, solidarity, humor, milspouse experiences, expert advice, and more. And if you don’t find what you’re looking for, you can always join us as a blogger to share your story!
“Find your tribe.”
It’s one of the first things I heard when becoming a military spouse.
But what does that mean?
In anthropology, a tribe is defined as a human social group. But more in depth, a tribe is almost a subculture of a group of people.
For the longest time, I thought “finding your tribe” meant finding dear friends who would accept me as I am. But as I prepare to leave this place I’ve called home for the last three years, I realize it’s much more than that.
Are you a master at taking care of others? The telephone rings, and it’s a friend who needs your ear. The children need help with their homework. Your boss needs you to work late to meet a deadline. The list goes on and on. Have you ever stepped back and asked, “Where is my time?”
I was sitting in a Chick-fil-A play area next to an old friend after we both recently moved to the same area of a brand new state. Her husband is a civilian doctor. Mine plays with tanks for a living.
We talked about how crazy and hectic the last two months had been since we made this place our home. I droned on and on about the church, co-op, and activities we’d joined, the housing fix-me-ups we’d done, and the friends we’d made.
It isn’t uncommon to dread a PCS. There isn’t a lot to love: the mess, the chaos, the broken items, the list goes on and on… But for some, the move is a golden opportunity to redecorate. A PCS is the perfect excuse to start planning for the next house. Envisioning a new couch, picking out the perfect paint color, and choosing fresh bed linens is just the beginning of the process. There’s no shortage of excitement surrounding each detail it takes to personalize your upcoming home with decorating inspiration.
This year seems to have slowly become more difficult as time goes by. I can say with complete certainty that it will get more difficult before too much longer. The best way to describe what has happened and what will happen is overwhelming, exhausting, and unexpected. The last few months have been wrought with worry, stress, and pain.
My grandmother became ill.
What better way to start your PCS season than with a little Marie Kondo rendition? Am I right?
If you’re sitting there stumped and asking yourself, “Who is Marie Kondo?” then I must ask you—where have you been hiding? The entire nation (of spouses) has been energized by a call to action by a bestselling author and her popular Netflix series. Her magical ways (or so people swear) of decluttering your home have led to an overflow of donations at the local thrift store—just what we need in the middle of a PCS purge.
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