Oh… Military Life! This is likely what brought you to Mission: Milspouse in the first place. It is what binds the military community together with its wildly unique lifestyle.
Whether you are here to learn how to better live in this military life, how to support a loved one who is living the military lifestyle, or to see if this lifestyle is something you may like to be a part of, you have come to the right place.
Here at Mission: Milispouse the military lifestyle is what inspires us, drives our home lives, our moves, and our service member’s career, and gives us a camaraderie like no other. So welcome friend, take a seat and read more about all things that make us who we are and make the military lifestyle a life like no other!
Almost every day, for the last three weeks, I’ve started my morning with a special brew. I walk down to the cozy café (that is, the breakfast lounge of the installation hotel—PCS, anyone?), and pour the nearly fresh coffee into its signature Styrofoam cup. I’m a decaf person, but depending on the night from which I have just awoken, I may mix myself a half-caffeinated cup of coffee, or a few times now, full-on regular.
So yeah, it’s been a little rough.
A few years ago, I read an article about emotional labor. The author described her experience of asking for one simple gift for Mother’s Day. She wanted someone to deep clean her home. Her husband waited until the last minute, then decided it was too expensive. In addition, he couldn’t find a cleaning service for the day he wanted, so instead, he “cleaned” the bathrooms leaving her to watch their children destroy the rest of the house.
He thought he gave her the gift she wanted.
We’re currently stationed on Okinawa, a place pretty well known for ghost stories. I never paid it much mind, except for when our cats are staring at things that aren’t there and chasing invisible apparitions into the “ghost closet,” as we lovingly call it. But, spooky October is here and has brought with it some ghosts of duty stations past.
One day last spring, morning coffee in-hand, I noticed my dog’s curiosity about an object in my backyard. Hmm… A bit too curious perhaps, so I went outside to see what he found. To my delight he had his nose deep in a bird’s nest. There were no broken shells nearby, so I guessed it had long been abandoned and fallen during heavy winds the night before. I held it in my hand and marveled at it.
Frank Lloyd Wright might be the greatest modern human architect of houses, but to me, nests are the most precious homes ever built.
No matter how long you’ve been around the military, you may occasionally come across situations you don’t know how to navigate, especially in the protocol and etiquette department. Have no fear, the P&E team is here with a Q&A. Do you have more questions and don’t see your answer below? Leave a comment and we will feature it in another post!
I wish there was more I could do right now. My husband wishes he could have done more in the past. I wonder if we could have made a bigger difference. I hurt because we’re stuck and feeling helpless.
Afghanistan. We wish, wonder, and hurt for Afghanistan.
My husband willingly answered the call and completed two, 12-month tours in the Middle East many years ago. We were still only dating and had no children. My soldier’s sacrifice was great, and as with every tour overseas, he had its burdens to carry. However, it didn’t anguish our family in the way it has for many others, because my husband didn’t have all of us quite yet.
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