Maybe, just like everyone else in America, I want things now.
If there is anything that living in England has taught me, it's that instant gratification is not all it's cracked up to be. We basically live off Amazon because a) buying things in pounds when you earn dollars is not the most wallet-friendly practice in the world (£1= $1.60) and b) we do not want to be stuck with British spec. electronics and everything else for the rest of our lives (or until we can afford to buy new stuff). Ever try to use a European DVD in an American DVD player? Not gonna happen. There are some exceptions. Pans. American sized pans will simply not fit in my tiny English oven. Only the smallest sizes will do. I can use the medium pan too out of my 3-pack, but the edges touch the walls. I also buy cute British things I know I'll want to keep. Especially things that are etched with "Made in Britain."
Back to waiting. Buying things online from America can take a long, long, long time to ship to England. Sometimes we will be surprised with only a week wait! But most of the time we're lucky to receive our packages within 2-3 weeks. I have learned to be more patient. Although I may sound petty, learning to do without while waiting for a new vacuum for several weeks is harder than it sounds. I never thought I would be so glad to vacuum in my life. I guess I'm becoming a grown-up. A very patient grown-up.
This patience is not only thanks to living overseas. Oh no. It's the military that has taught me the most patience. This type of patience is not the kind that makes me a better person. It makes me want to rip my hair out. It's forced patience. The military does not run on anyone's time but its own. It doesn't care that you have spent months planning a vacation, nor does it mind changing your schedule every two weeks from days to nights. We very nearly had to change our wedding date after it had been set for months. The military has no yeses or no's. The military is made of a million unstable maybes.
I do have to say though that we have been ridiculously blessed since we've been here for several reasons. Forrest hasn't had to deploy (thank the Lord) and he has had a ridiculously regular work schedule. I honestly don't even think of myself as a military wife. Besides the living across the world part, we (or at least I, sorry Forrest) live a fairly normal nonmilitary life. This is partly due to the fact that we live far from base. On purpose. And we go to a normal church, not the base chapel. I interact with more civilians than military and that is how I would like it to stay. I have absolutely nothing against those who like the militaristic type of life, never shop off base, and love moving all the time. But it is not for me.
I have learned the past year, even though I've had a relatively easy time of it compared to the average military family, that through the waiting and waiting and waiting some more, the best and most sane way to deal with it is just to accept it. I have learned to be more liquid. I thought I was already an easy-going person. Now I'm just trying to get through the intervals of indecision to the end where there has to be an answer waiting. I've had my heart pushed and pulled while getting my hopes up and this time I'm letting it all wash over me until a final decision is made. Sometimes it's hard to know what's going to happen until it happens. It's really hard to wait for months and months while trying not to care about a certain outcome. I'm doing my best, even while I know that my husband has all this and more on his shoulders and is still doing a better job of maintaining his own peace.
As long as the military owns your life, you will never get a straight answer. Thankfully, this shouldn't be much longer for us. God has really taken care of us and I am so thankful for that. Sometimes I just have to remember over and over that we already have a great life and upset plans are not the end of it.
We are blessed.
We are loved.
Plus, we're super young.
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