Over the weekend my
family and I took a trip with some of our friends to Heidelberg,
Germany. It was seriously the most amazing place. There is a castle
there that takes your breath away. Once you go inside the castle you can
see for miles! This picture was taken from a "balcony" type area inside
the castle. It really is breath taking! This trip got me to thinking
though.
So
many military members and spouses ask, "What's the best base?" or "What
are the bad bases?" and that is kind of frustrating to me. In my
opinion there are no bad bases. It's all relative to your attitude. I'm
not saying that I am jumping to get stationed in Minot or something like
that but I am saying that every base has it's good and it's bad. If you
choose to focus on the good then it will be a "good" base rather than a
bad one. Some might consider the base we are at as a bad assignment.
It's a small base and the closest regular sized base is about 2 hours
away. In order to get to the commissary or a small BX we have to drive
30 minutes. Sounds horrible right? It's not! It IS an adjustment but
because of this we get to really experience the Belgian traditions and
way of life. We have learned to appreciate those trips to "big" bases.
What's probably the most frustrating for me though, when we are at those
bigger bases I hear people constantly complaining about them. My
initial thoughts are "what do you have to complain about?" I guess I am
just a different kind of spouse. I know that the base we are at is not
permanent. In a few years we will be heading somewhere else,
experiencing something else. Why not make the best out of the place we
are at and learn some new things, see some new things and build memories
with my family.
Before
being stationed in Belgium we were stationed in South Georgia. Over
half the people there complain about what a horrible base it is and how
they can't wait to get out of there. I will admit that I was a bit
apprehensive about moving there because it really is such a small place
(little did I know that our next base would be even smaller LOL). We
chose to make the best of it and we ended up driving to Tallahassee
quite a bit which was only a little over an hour away, we would go to
all the farms and do the you pick them, an added bonus was that Savannah
was only a few hours away. Never did I think I would miss that place. I
took it as an experience and had fun while we were there. Now, I find
myself MISSING it! Had I not taken the right mindset when we arrived
there then we wouldn't have found all the wonderful things that we did.
All the festivals, the farm days, the farms, the friends, the list is
endless really!
You
can choose to be bitter about the base you are at or you can choose to
enjoy it and find the adventure in it! Get in your car and explore on
the weekends. I will be the first to tell you that I don't get out
during the week typically. I have the kids on a schedule and we stick to
it during the week. That helps them and it helps me, plus I want to
enjoy new things while my husband is with us. On the weekends, we try to
experience something new, even if that means just driving to a big city
around us, parking the car and just walking around. We have less than 4
years to experience Europe and I plan on taking advantage of that, even
if that means we have to drive a few hours or go outside our comfort
zone.
I
think another thing that spouses/military members complain about is
their children aren't adjusting. In a sense I get that but I also know
from experience that your children will feed off of your energy. If you
are bitter and complaining constantly about where you are stationed then
your kids will not be happy there either. They will take their clues
from you and follow your lead. My oldest was old enough to understand
that we were leaving the place she was born and she watched as they
packed our house and her toys. When I was stressed and freaking out
about it, then she was a wreak. Once I settled into the idea and "let
Jesus take the wheel" then she calmed into it and we told her we were
going to a new home. It became a cool adventure to her and she has great
ever since.
I
guess what I am trying to say is that nothing is permanent. Enjoy where
you are and find the positive in everything. It will make you a better
wife, mother and person. I will admit that I wasn't always that person. I
have had to work at it and learn to find the positive. You could have
asked me a year ago and I would have said there are good bases and bad
bases....now I think they are all good because there is ALWAYS a good
aspect or two for each one. The base we are at now allows us to travel
Europe, it's a small tight knit community with great leadership, and we
are showing our kids that there is a whole big world out there! As Joel
Osteen says, "Enjoy the season you are in!"
Enjoy the adventure and know that in a few short years you will be on the road of another great adventure. :)
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