
In this guest post, LB from the blog Olio discusses how she deals with those dreaded deployments.
Deployments suck, hands down. But when they are a fact of life (because you know that the life you will have together beyond the military is worth enduring them), you find ways to deal.
With a half-dozen deployments under my belt (and an address book filled with tree services, concrete layers, plumbers, electricians, vets and roofers), I can speak with some authority on “How to Barrel Through a Deployment as a Twentysomething Childless Dog Mom.” Please note, I’m not going to pretend to know what to do as a mom-to-be or a real mother, but I do think that some of my (long-winded) advice still applies.
1) Save some goodies for yourself.
Give yourself something (or lots of things) to look forward to. A facial. Watching that girlie movie. Catching up on TV shows. Learning to knit. Painting the bedroom. Taking a trip. Volunteering. Do one of those things not long after he leaves, sort of as a ritualistic induction into “You Time.” Then spread out the rest throughout the deployment. Now is the time to live for yourself – why not plan for some Gold Star days?
2) Stay busy. Busy busy busy.
Part of my “Me Time” launch ritual includes cleaning out kitchen cabinets or a closet within a week of his leaving. I find it therapeutic, perhaps because it helps me feel busy and like I’m in control of something.
I also always become way more focused on work during deployments. Then I pile on all of the “Somethings I’ve Saved For Myself,” and start developing a routine – dog, breakfast, work, dog, gym, eat, movie/tv/book, sleep – for the ordinary days. Weekends become my oyster, filled with paint samples or cuts of fabric after spending an hour at the dog park each morning. Again, I think this goes back to the “Feeling Like I’m in Control of Something” – if I can’t control when I see my husband, at least I control how happy my dog is and what my bedroom looks like!
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