I’ve had this post open for over a week now trying to find the right words to say so here it goes! Last week an event happened and it reminded me exactly why I wanted to start this project/community.
This project went from me posting my fitness journey on social media for self motivation to people saying I was motivating them. That grew into an idea to create something even bigger so that maybe someone else could have motivation. Or maybe they could get support if they were going through a hard time.
We all know that being a mom is hard. Being a mom and a military spouse is just ridiculous at times, especially during those “solo” parenting phases. I’m not going to lie, there are a lot of days I just want to give up. I never do though. I get up the next day and keep moving forward. I do this because that’s my job. I do this because I love my family and my husband couldn’t do his job well if I just gave up.
Whether you marry into the military life or you take the journey together, this life isn’t easy. It doesn’t matter how much you think you’ve prepared yourself for it, it’s never enough. Even after fourteen years, the Army still surprises me almost weekly, especially during deployments.
Fourteen years and many deployments later, it’s still hard to read the news. Nothing can prepare you for the punch in the gut you get when you know your spouse was close to a bad event. It’s even harder to read their words, “I’m ready to come home now” when they send you the news article, knowing there’s absolutely nothing you can do to make the situation better. After receiving an email like this, that’s when I broke. I was sitting in front of the gym getting ready to go to class, but I couldn’t move. I sat there trying to catch my breath and calm myself down. Had it not been for a tap on my window, I probably would have sat in the truck until class was over. Yes, I knew he was alright but after 7 months of staying strong and not letting my stress show, I broke.
Thankfully I was at the right place, at the right time when this happened. The group of ladies that I have gotten close to over the last year were all there when I had my moment. They pulled me out of the truck, prayed with me, and then made me do zumba to get my mind off of everything. It was exactly what I needed at that moment. I was able to put myself back together because I had an amazing group of women that were there for me when I needed it. That is why I created this community.
As a military spouse you NEED a support system, you need your ARMY of friends! You need people that know exactly what you’re going through! You can’t be the best wife or the best mom if you aren’t the best you! I hope that this community can help you find that, even if it’s in the smallest way.
If you’re a new military spouse, my biggest advice is to find your group of people and never let them go. I made the mistake of trying to do this alone years ago and it didn’t go very well. While this may be the hardest deployment we have faced, it has also been the easiest to get past the hard moments. It’s been that way because I decided to get out of the house and join a group (gym). I found my place and people that will support me. Support and friends are a huge priority when taking on the military life. When the deployments come (and they will), it’s good to know that the moment you break (and you probably will), you will have your support group there to help put you back together again.
One thing my husband and I always say during deployments is, “one more day done, one more down”. Before he left this time I made myself a bracelet and him a charm to wear on his dog tags that says “One Day Closer.” That has been our reminder over the last 7 months that deployments don’t last forever and every night we are one day closer to this phase in life ending. So if you are going through something hard right now, use that saying as your motivation. You are One Day Closer to a better day. You got this!
If you’re wanting to join the FTB Community, I’d love for you to join us over on Facebook! Below you’ll find the link for my Facebook page and Group!
FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/followingtheboots/
Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/followingtheboots/
