“How do you eat an elephant? One bit at a time.” – African proverb
I’ve always thought that saying was silly. Who on earth is eating elephants? I’m more of a “rip the Band-Aid off” and smile type myself, but I’ll admit this week has been all about one day at a time.
Even if the entirety of this creeps in for just a moment, it becomes overwhelming and I risk breaking down in tears. So instead it is about living in the day, the present. One day at a time.
This first week of deployment has been a bit of a blessing, as Jason and I still have pretty solid communications. As he begins to pick up the responsibilities that I used to handle, he and my mom have been able to call me to get details and ask follow-up questions. We’ve been lucky in that.
I wouldn’t say the military has made this week easy, and this isn’t the thing for the faint of heart. There are challenges as part of the transition from reserve Navy to active including major lapses in pay and healthcare coverage, but overall the brief time stateside with suitable internet connection and time to focus on last minute tasks has significantly helped.
This week I had the opportunity to visit the USO and participate in their United Through Reading program. This is a well-loved program among service members. You sit down in front of a camera and read your children a story. Both the book and video are then provided to the kids. I tried to do a few more stories before I left from home but didn’t get nearly as many as I’d hoped.
I can tell you each video I get from Jason and the kids at home this week has been priceless. It doesn’t matter what it is – it just feels like I had the chance to peak into their life for a brief moment.
This week has been about vaccinations, gas masks, paperwork and more, but mostly I’m just staying focused and avoiding the elephant in the room.
Reminds me of what we say to the freshman at West Point getting through plebe year, when football practice is the easiest part of the day. Is different being an experienced officer?
Reminds me of what we say to the freshman at West Point getting through plebe year, when football practice is the easiest part of the day. Is different being an experienced officer?
I’m not sure that it gets any easier. There are definitely things that are easier with maturity and experience, but sometimes even the most experienced need to narrow the scope down a bit and be present in just the moment to get through it. We have quite a few people here that have deployed multiple times over the past few years, and it doesn’t get the least bit easier. Just different challenges and different things to push through.