Things I have learned

Another month is coming to a close. That means I only have 1 full month and a partial month left of this deployment. I have learned so many things while J has been gone. Some good, some bad, some breaks my heart, and some I am so glad I learned.

1. People that do not have any affiliation to the military really have no clue. How can someone compare an overnight business trip or even a couple days to a year-ish long deployment. How can you compare your husband sleeping in a 4 star hotel to mine sleeping on the ground in full battle rattle?

2.That I am stronger than I thought. I can be independent. I don't need J's input on everything. I still want it, especially with major decisions.

3.Cherish the moments, when your loved one is gone its the memories that you sleep with at night. You don't fully realize how much you miss someone until its the little things that you miss.

4. That if there is something you don't want to talk about the best thing to say is I don't know. If you answer with I don't want to talk about it some people will continue to try to talk to you about it, but if you play dumb and stick to it then people will quit asking. It also stops them from asking things in the future. This also helps with stuff that you can't and/or don't want to share with others. Sometimes there are things you just can't say over the phone or on the computer. This may sound selfish or childish but when you have people on your case all the time for information sometimes it is the best thing to say.

5. I have learned who my true friends are. It is sad to say that people that I thought would be there for me through thick and thin have only been there when it would benefit them. Even on the good days. People that I did not really think I could have depended have proved me wrong. I guess I need to learn to be a better at picking my friends.

6. Saying goodbye after R&R is a lot harder than saying goodbye for the first time. I had heard this on a forum I am a part of at the start of this deployment and I could not understand how that could be true, but after having to do both I now understand.