My Married Yet Strangely Single Life as an Army Wife Two

Funny bones – I confess, though some may see me as a pretty serious person, I am actually a bit of a prankster. I love practical jokes and pretty much anything for a good laugh. In my last job, I was part of the rubber band warriors, and daily watched the movie, “Office Space.” Laughing reduces stress and burns calories. It also helps me get into a better mood and have a more optimistic outlook on life.

I suppose that also helps explain why I am such an internet junkie whenever my husband is away. I love humorous viral videos and am always on the lookout for a new joke. I am drawn towards people who don’t take themselves too seriously and who also have contagious laughs.

Fitness – I can’t emphasize this enough. I consider good nutrition as part of my fitness program. Whether it’s weightlifting, kickboxing or my latest love (snowboarding!), fitness is essential for a number of reasons. It helps me have energy to take on the world (or the large chunks I try to take on and then regret). It releases endorphins in my brain and keeps me from things like depression. Living in a rainy area where suicide rates are among the highest in the nation, we don’t get enough sunlight and need fitness to keep us mentally well.

I also have some strong opinions that might offend some people but I’m going to blurt it out. Too many women allow themselves to get fat once they are married, and military spouses are no exception to that.

Another hard reality a lot of women don’t want to admit to-or they recognize it but don’t approve of it-is how visual our men are. It’s not that I’m worried my husband would cheat on me or disown me for being a fatty, but rather out of love and loyalty that I do fight hard to try to be fit.

I do it for myself first of all, but I also am motivated by a desire to please him. It becomes a priority, and a struggle just like staying on top of the finances, home maintenance, dog training, and all the other “holding up the fort” requirements of this “job” as an army wife.

I want to really stress the importance of the fitness factor here. It’s just as much about me as it is about doing it for my husband-it’s just as much about me being my real self (an energetic, adventurous, fun and happy person that I was before I got swept up into this militant lifestyle) as it is about me being someone my husband is happy to come home to when he finally does come home. The more in shape I am, the more adventures we can do together-the less we miss out on. Don’t forget, even better sex. There are other additional benefits that I could write an entire article on.

I hope this has helped to provide further insight into how this army wife keeps her sanity through oftentimes difficult deployments. There is so much outside of our control and so little accomplished by worrying and exhausting oneself emotionally.

We don’t live perfect lives, we have our share of ups and downs, and distance and communication barriers can especially impose additional hardships. However, through faith and with the help of family, friends, keeping our eyes ahead, and not losing our sense of humor, we persevere.