The First Milestone: Week One
By Jennifer • Oct 18th, 2009 • Category: Passing the TimeWhen my husband deploys I set little milestones for myself. First, it is getting through day one. It is always a day of mixed emotions and that forever lump in my throat that will not go away until I break down and cry. I do my best not to cry when he leaves because I know it doesn’t help him to see me like that. So I hold back as much as I can. I’m too strong willed to just break down… it usually takes a sappy show or movie (this time Gray’s Anatomy). I shed the tears, looked in the mirror and told myself I know I will be fine.
Since my husband left on a Sunday, I was so happy that by Monday morning I would be immersed in work. The weekdays usually go quickly for me working full time and fulfilling my duties as the March of Dimes board chair.
By Friday afternoon, I was excited about the weekend; however, very sad that he wasn’t going to be here. I felt a little empty heading home from work. Luckily I had a full weekend planned and it flew by. I finally made it to my first milestone of the deployment: week one is over! For me, it is all about taking deployment one day at time, one problem at a time and one milestone at a time.
Jennifer is in the mist of Mike's 6th deployment. This is proving to be the hardest deployment of them all.
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I love this post. I thought day 1 would never end!! Then on day 2 I got really sick, and throughout the week it only worsened(I think I got sick because I was so stressed about him leaving this being hisfirst deployment AND 12 months long)
Now I am almost to the third month, since he left I have become the treasurer for my FRG, started school again, made a few friends, and made A LOT of trips to the dog park. Hopefully I will have a job one of these bad economy days!! Then I will not have any free time to read deployment blogs…Yay!
Hopefully this time apart will bring us closer. We sure need it.
Tonia,
Congrats on making it almost 3 months! You are almost a third through the deployment, which I see as a major milestone! Also, it is great you are getting involved in the community and keeping yourself busy. It is all about finding ways to pass time.
Hang in there. You can and will do this. And you will certainly learn a lot about yourself and your loved one while he is gone.
Just remember that all your feelings are normal. I’m sure reading deployment blogs is helping you realize this. Perhaps you should even consider writing your own. This blog has been a great outlet for me to express my feelings and my husband to read how I’m REALLY feeling (with no sugarcoating). Jen