I don't know a single spouse that hasn't been through a deployment right now. While there are so many horrible, terrible, no good things about deployments I'm not going to focus on those. I want to talk about the good things. I know what you're thinking...good things? Is this lady off of her ever lovin' rocker?!? Let me explain.
I loved sending my husband care packages. It was so much fun to get him the things that he would never get for himself. What Marine is going to go buy mini water guns, MadLibs, and a baby pool?! And those are just a very few of the crazy things my husband was sent over all of our deployments. I know that he could get what he NEEDED while he was there from the PX, but I sent him the silly things and homemade stuff he couldn't (or wouldn't) get. It was nice to go out and find things for him and I knew he would like and in some strange way it made me feel like I was sending him a little bit of us in a box.
Phone calls...I don't need to say anything more, but I'll expand anyway. When have you ever looked forward to seeing a strange or unknown number on your called ?! When else is it acceptable for you to take your cell phone with you every where...and I do mean EVERYwhere. My cell phone went with me to the gym, on runs, to France and Belgium, in the shower, while cooking dinner, to the bathroom, the movies, meetings, banquets and doctors appointments. Even when the phone calls were on terrible satellite phones with horrible reception because of sand storms (or just being beat to hell and back and held together with duct tape) it was still the highlight of my day...or sometimes week. Even when they were so short the only thing said was "Just wanted to call and say 'I love you' 'cause I don't have much time to talk now." My heart would skip a beat every time I saw a funny number on the caller ID I didn't know.
During deployment you get control of the television remote. Now granted, you may get it when your husband is home too...but you also get the "seriously, you're watching that??" You have total TV freedom! Chick-flick on, grab your tissues. Romantic comedy, grab the popcorn! Soaps, Project Runway, Top Model, your favorite Disney princess movie or anything on the Food Network is all fair game without someone giving you funny looks or saying that you should watch something less "gay". Enjoy the power ladies!
The last thing I'll leave you with is obvious to all....HOMECOMING!!! How could this not make my "Good things" list? Picking out your homecoming outfit and getting a mani/pedi is like that first day of school all over again. Getting to making welcome home signs and hanging them up for all to see and then finally seeing those buses pull in! There is no way to describe the feeling of seeing your spouse step off the bus after x number of months gone. The first few hours home seem like a dream, but when you wake up he is still there and it isn't a dream.
So if you are in the midst of a deployment or about to set out on this adventure I hope you can dwell on some of these "good things" and enjoy your TV freedom and care package projects until you get to hug and kiss your military man again.
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