If this deployment is teaching me one thing only, it’s patience. I’ve buried myself in my tasks only to find myself swamped, exhausted, overburdened and generally worn out. Since Ryan left and Danny got hit by a car, I’m working to give myself a little more grace and a little more space.
Take yesterday, for example. I didn’t have daycare during Presidents’ Day, and normally I would’ve tried to trudge through, do my work and watch my kids. Instead, I took a personal day, and some friends and I went hiking. It was a total fail hike – we ended up nowhere where we wanted to be, but we got fresh air, we laughed together, our kids had a blast, and we got outside. It’s been a sort of faux-spring here, and I’m relishing it while it lasts!
I wore the boys – yes, both – and it was actually awesome! I’ve never really had enough energy to do that. I’ve struggled with eating properly, and starting with The Babe Campaign and Isagenix (more on that later!), has really upped my ability to actually be a mom to my kids. So, with an extra 50ish pounds of babies on me, we hiked and enjoyed the sun, then we got back home for an early night all around.
Honestly, it wasn’t a crazy day. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but it was so fun, so freeing and so special to actually get out there and do it. Even better was the fact that normally I’d resist a drive to a hike alone because Porter hates car rides. But you know what? It was so worth it.
This, my friends, is the best part of deployment. I’m learning so much about myself and what I’m capable of, and it’s incredible.