Lately I’ve heard a lot of military spouses dwelling on the negative, lamenting the opportunities lost when their husbands signed on the dotted line.
Academic and career goals are compromised. The support of a family is often so far away. These sacrifices are serious and can make life hard to cope with sometimes.
However, what I’ve found to be true is that being an Army wife affords just as many opportunities — if not more — than it costs. In my own personal experience, I’ve gained dear friends I never would have met, been places I never would have considered going and received career opportunities I hadn’t expected.
Now, that doesn’t mean it’s been all sunshine and roses since my husband joined. Of course, the hardest part is facing all of this change without the constant presence of your spouse. I’ve always thought we could handle anything together, but when we’re not physically together the possibility of anything is much more intimidating.
Still, everything seems much more dire from the confines of a negative mind. When you’re constantly dwelling on the things you left behind when you started this lifestyle, it’s hard to notice what you’ve gained. That kind of sour attitude leads to missed opportunities and a life of regrets. But I’ve found that by simply noticing the good that has come of this change in our life, it’s much easier to deal with the losses.
And the happier you are to support your spouse, the happier he or she can be to support our country, and the opportunity to contribute in that way is most certainly something else gained.
Academic and career goals are compromised. The support of a family is often so far away. These sacrifices are serious and can make life hard to cope with sometimes.
However, what I’ve found to be true is that being an Army wife affords just as many opportunities — if not more — than it costs. In my own personal experience, I’ve gained dear friends I never would have met, been places I never would have considered going and received career opportunities I hadn’t expected.
Now, that doesn’t mean it’s been all sunshine and roses since my husband joined. Of course, the hardest part is facing all of this change without the constant presence of your spouse. I’ve always thought we could handle anything together, but when we’re not physically together the possibility of anything is much more intimidating.
Still, everything seems much more dire from the confines of a negative mind. When you’re constantly dwelling on the things you left behind when you started this lifestyle, it’s hard to notice what you’ve gained. That kind of sour attitude leads to missed opportunities and a life of regrets. But I’ve found that by simply noticing the good that has come of this change in our life, it’s much easier to deal with the losses.
And the happier you are to support your spouse, the happier he or she can be to support our country, and the opportunity to contribute in that way is most certainly something else gained.