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It was the song, just something about the song that snapped me out of my deployment funk. It wasn’t the lyrics really, just the beat. The way the music made me feel.
We were at the end of my husband’s 2nd deployment. I was struggling a bit. He had been gone almost a year and I was so ready for him to be home. But we still had more days left. Too many.
I had taken my son out in a friend’s jogging stroller and I was listening to my iPod. Remember those?
The song, Galway Girl by Steve Earle came on and something hit me. I could do this. I could.
I started to feel strong again. And that we could make it through the rest of this deployment. That we could make it to the finish line.
I had found my inner deployment strength!
That song made me want to dance, and cry, and just show the world that this milspouse was doing it. That she was getting through her husband’s deployment. That she was finding a way to get to that finish line.
And we did. My husband came home soon after and the deployment finally ended. Somehow we made it through. Through all the long days and nights, he was finally home.
I think of that moment all the time. I thought about it during the deployments that came after and even more recent times that my husband has been away. Bringing up that memory reminds me that I am strong enough and can get through what the military life sends my way, and sometimes it sends a lot.
That memory reminds me that I am capable and I can do hard things. That I can get to a place of strength even if it doesn’t always feel like I can. That some days might be difficult but on others, I can feel like I can accomplish anything.
So if you are in the middle of a deployment, remember, you are strong enough for this. You are.
You might not always feel like you are. You might have days when making it to your kid’s bedtime seems impossible. When the thought of three more months seems unreal. When you don’t think you could ever go through another deployment again in the future.
But you will also have days filled with laughter making memories with your kids, or family and friends. You will have days where you can’t stop smiling at the thought of being with your spouse again. You will have days where you will know you got this!
And such is the way of military life. The ups and downs. The good and the bad.
As I look back, I still think about how random it was to be able to find the strength to get through the end of the deployment from a song. But sometimes that’s just how things go.
Sometimes it is a song, or a call from a friend, or even a photo that is the reminder you need to get through this. Sometimes, it doesn’t take too much to help you get to a better place and find your inner deployment strength.
Remember to give yourself grace. Remember you are not alone in this military spouse experience. Remember, this too shall pass.
What is your BEST tip for getting through a deployment???
