One thing is certain about the military: it teaches our spouses to endure.
I remember vividly the day my husband's best friend was bragging to me about how, during an especially rough patch of deployment, he had fashioned for himself the most wonderful bed in the sand. He had sculpted it just perfectly to fit his body and had sloped it just right to make a pillow, and I stood there feeling a mixture of amusement and horror as he went on and on about how proud he was of his dirt bed.
Sleeping in a dirt bed is so far removed from my life. And from most of our lives. Most of us can't fathom the physical and mental discomfort our spouses have to endure regularly.
Remember a few weeks ago when those Jet Blue passengers had to sit on the runway for eight hours? Most Americans were shocked at how horrible that ordeal sounded. My husband looked at the TV with a cry-me-a-river smirk and said, "I spent 36 hours in a tank once. Deal with it, people."
No matter how hot, cold, tired, hungry, cramped, or scared you are, chances are your spouse can one-up your discomfort with an anecdote from military life. These stories always make me smile, and usually make me think twice before complaining about most things in my life.
What's your favorite story of your spouse's endurance?
