Recently, I was asked what my plans are for this summer. I replied that we’re creating a new rhythm.
We’re moving into our house in the cutest little German village next week. Out of that stressful disruption will come new experiences. We get to make memories in that house for three years.
I get to set the rhythm.
Our rhythm has been disrupted for too long. Packing, moving, traveling, living out of suitcases is taking its toll.
We’ve taken advantage of the lack of schedule.
We fit in school when we can. We buy ice cream from the German ice cream man (this is real ice cream – huge sundaes! None of that chemical gelatinous stuff I grew up with!). We play outside until after bedtime since it’s light here until almost 10 PM. We walk everywhere since we have no car. We don’t eat snacks since we don’t have any. We have the barest minimum of food to make simple meals in our apartment.
I have to rely on strangers to help me. I had to beg a ride to an Officers’ Spouses Welcome Breakfast. I had to beg a ride to my Intro to Ramstein class because it was way on the far other side of base. (I could’ve walked, but it would have taken a while and I would’ve had to have left early.) I had to beg a ride for myself and my four kids to this really neato shopping field trip. We went to many of the local German stores to see what they had. My kids made this mama proud with their awesome behavior.
My husband hasn’t been to the gym in ages and he used to go work out at least four times a week. I can tell it’s wearing on him. He’s sleepy and grouchy. All the in-processing, training, and hoop-jumping isn’t helping while he tries to get settled at his new job.
I certainly don’t want the days, weeks, months, years to fly by while we’re here. I don’t want to have regrets of what we could’ve done and should’ve seen. We’ve had that at every base we’ve ever been.
I want to get settled quickly and move on to the important parts.
We will have very little maintenance and virtually no storage at our new house. While we purged a great deal before moving, I feel there is some more purging in my very near future as we discover more of what we can live without.
While we certainly miss our books and clothes and kitchen supplies, it has been entirely possible and almost refreshing to live on so little the last few months.
For the remainder of this week, I get to dream and plan what rhythm I want to set for our new life.
Resources:
- Third Culture Kids 3rd Edition: Growing up among worlds by Ruth E. Van Reken, Michael V. Pollock, David C. Pollock
- This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are by Melody Warnick
- Almost There: Searching for Home in a Life on the Move by Bekah DiFelice
- God Strong: The Military Wife’s Spiritual Survival Guide by Sara Horn
- Tour of Duty: Preparing Our Hearts for Deployment: A Bible Study for Military Wives by Sara Horn
- Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul: 101 Stories to Touch the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Charles Preston
- Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green
- Faith Deployed…Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green
- Faith, Hope, Love, & Deployment: 40 Devotions for Military Couples by Heather Gray
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