We are going to chat about the 4 B’s of Becoming a Better Battle Buddy, which is a hard but necessary lesson to learn ~Sharita, AWN Commander
friendship
Celebrating the Holidays Far From Home
We have entered that time of year when the hustle and bustle begins. Many of us are planning meals, travel by car or plane, what we’ll pack in our luggage, and exactly what is the best way to tackle a long-distance journey and maintain everyone’s sanity.
But for some of you, you may live too far away to conveniently travel the distance, or your finances aren’t in a place to support hotel stays, gas, or plane tickets, or you may have new additions to your family and prefer to celebrate in the quiet of your own home or in your own way. Maybe it’s a combination of all three.
Not everyone enjoys spending the holidays away from family—and for some of us, we feel a deep absence in our hearts.
Find Your Tribe, Love Them Hard
I never considered myself an athlete. I swam competitively growing up, but I was rarely on top of any podium. I couldn’t kick a ball if my life depended on it. And I definitely couldn’t run. Not a single mile.
Ever.
But loneliness can make you do some crazy things. Like being freshly postpartum with your third kid in the middle of a deployment and signing up for some weird mommy boot camp exercise class.
How to Make Friends Fast in Military Life
Moving is almost always a given with military life. Quite frankly, I’ve been lucky to avoid it for our entire 10-year marriage with the exception of a move into a larger home, a total of five minutes from our first home.
Until now.
We’re unexpectedly PCSing 14 hours away. New state. New people. New everything.
Current Situation: Chris Stapleton
Last week, my civilian neighbor stopped by with a bottle of wine and asked if she could (and I quote) “be on my Deployment Team?” My neighbors here in Texas (mostly civilians at this duty station) are aware that my husband is downrange, but this was a first for me.
I asked her what she thought my “Deployment Team” was, and she replied, “You know, the one that cooks for you, watches your kids, and just keeps you from crying all the time.”
Why Does She Have to PCS?
I knew the day was coming, but it felt so far away. In fact, it still doesn’t feel real. It happens all the time in the military community—people move, and then they move again. I’ve said it many times—it’s a small big military, and we never lose our forever friends; they just move a bit. I’ve also always said people are closer than ever with Facebook and texting. But when I know they’re leaving, it make me want to cry, “Why does she have to PCS?”
Speed Dating, Mommy-style
You know about speed dating, but have you heard of mom dating? It’s a thing, y’all.
It’s what you do to check out little Timmy’s friend’s mom. Are you compatible?
Or…
Will you stab your eyes out if you spend more than 15 minutes at the playground with her?
Just Do It!
“Just do it!”
No, not the kinds of things Nike encourages, although that stuff is good! I’m talking today about things specifically related to military spouse friendships.
To All the Friends I’ve Had Before
We are about to enter the prime PCS season, which means that some of you may be prepping for a big move, or you may be prepping to say your heartfelt, bitter “see you laters” (because, fortunately, there’s no such thing as “goodbye” in this life).
This is a hard time for a lot of us, especially if we are the ones staying put while the friends around us move on. This time of year always makes me reflect on the gift of military spouse friendships, as a number of my friends are leaving this summer.
Mission: Milspouse is a
501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
EIN Number: 88-1604492
Contact:
hello@missionmilspouse.org
P.O. Box 641341
El Paso, TX 79904
