Have you ever been at a happy hour or out with a friend of yours that’s married to a civilian and said something about your marriage that resulted in an expression of bewilderment or, even worse, a narrowing of their eyes and lift of their eyebrows that exclaims, “I can’t believe you just said that!”
I don’t know about you, but this has happened to me on many occasions, and it boils down to one thing: Spouses of civilians just can’t always understand. In the world, things that may not be socially acceptable or may even be downright offensive, make total sense to any seasoned military spouse.
Next time when you say one of the following things that, let’s just be real here, any military spouse says at some point, just know that we are nodding along in understanding:
1. “We communicate so much better when he/she is gone.”
Now, if you want to talk reintegration…
2. “I don’t know what it’s going to be like to live with my spouse again!”
We change over the years…but when the years aren’t spent together, it’s not easy!
3. “I’m so sick of all these acronyms.”
BAH, anyone?
4. “Oh no, I can’t go to the commissary today, it’s payday!”
For real. Don’t do it.
5. “I’m so over traveling.”
Instead of traveling, we’ve decided to live everywhere for a few years at a time…