The People You Meet
Military spouses are the most resilient people I’ve ever met.
It’s funny that I never used the word “resilient” until becoming a military spouse myself. After making many friends from various duty stations, I’ve learned that military spouses are tough—the exact definition of resilient—because of the always-evolving life situations thrown at us.
Situations such as deployments and those deployment “curses” that magically appear. You know the curses: the washer breaking, the entire family catching the stomach bug, and the local cable company demanding a power of attorney to pay your cable bill. All the same day.
Being away from your spouse and worrying and praying for their safety is already a major focal point; those other curses are just for extra fun.
Despite the good, the bad, and the ugly, there’s always a friend there to lean on. I wanted to highlight some of the different military spouses you may find yourself leaning on in this military life. I hope you find the humor in this as I did. We all have at least one of these friends.
1. The FRG Leader or Very Involved FRG Participant
This friend will remind you or update you on events in the battalion. If you aren’t involved in the FRG or happen to miss a few of the FRG meetings, this friend will be able to tell you what events are happening within your company/battery/troop or battalion. This person is saving you from the embarrassment of showing up empty-handed to a potluck!
2. The Seasoned Spouse
This is the friend who has endured 10-plus years as a military spouse. They’ve seen all kinds of crazy that occurs in this military life and will network with you or just sit you down and help you with whatever woe you carry. This friend will be a mentor to you, so get a pen and paper. They’ll teach you life lessons that will get you through life as a military spouse.
3. The Neighbor
Your friend in the neighborhood is a great friend indeed. You both can decide how in-depth the relationship will go. The relationship can take a conservative turn and just strictly be waving from afar. You can move things up to borrowing food or ingredients if you’re missing things such as an egg or a spice or the classic cup of sugar.
Or, the neighbor can become your porch friend you vent to while the kids play, and it’s wonderful for all parties involved. Sometimes your neighbors will even become your best friends and battle buddies, and you can cry on their shoulder and share everything important in your life. Those are the best and most long-lasting relationships. You will take this friend throughout your whole life.
4. The Social Butterfly
You probably have one military spouse friend who is Miss Congeniality. She knows every single person on post and sometimes in the towns near post. This friend will always know what every social calendar holds because she’s most likely invited. She can accompany you to any event or be the person to invite you to a social function.
5. The Sales Representative
Whether this person sells LuLaRoe, Plexus, Herbalife, BeachBody, LipSense, ItWorks, or those silver-lined chocolate candy bars (so yummy), the amount of things you can sell at home these days is endless. Sometimes you need a shop party to attend or a little retail therapy. This friend will hook you up. Slap on your LLR leggings and your new lip color and have a fun’ night in.
6. The Fitness/Health Guru
There’s usually one friend who CrossFits, Zumbas, Yogas, or runs. This friend will give you tips on how to attain your dream weight or be the best workout partner you’ve ever had. Either way, fitness-motivated friends are great to have as side kicks. The endorphins are free, just like the friendship.
No matter what people you meet along the way, you can bet that at least one of them will be a long-lasting part of your life.
