Next week marks the one-year anniversary of purchasing our home at our new duty station. I cannot believe we have been here for a year already. I often catch myself introducing myself to new people by saying that, “we just moved here”.
Compared to our last duty station, which lasted just 10 months, we should feel settled and home by now. Some days I really struggle with feeling settled. Next summer we could possibly be moving (which we knew was a possibility when we bought our home) so we could technically be halfway through our time here.
I am beginning to feel like I will have this unsettled feeling for the rest of our military experience. Whether it be 10 months or four years, eventually our time comes to an end at each duty station. With that reality, will I ever feel like I am settled somewhere? Will I ever feel home?
Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy our current home for the most part. There are a few things I miss about our previous duty stations, like the Southern California weather or having Target only a few minutes away. We have fallen into a pretty good routine and are looking forward to spending our summer days at the beach.
However, every now and then I find myself in a bit of a funk. Sometimes I am bored of our neighborhood with no pool or playground accessibility. I’m tired of rainy days that ruin our plans or the fact that small town businesses here often close on a weekends because of off-season hours. I am annoyed with my 45-minute drive to civilization (Target in my book).
Somehow I have a reason to dislike this place. Am I itching to try somewhere new already? I couldn’t wait to have this last PCS over with and yet I find myself daydreaming of our next adventure.
Usually, that thought doesn’t last long because I realize for right now I don’t have to schedule a move or live with boxes piled up or survive with two toddlers in a hotel room while we wait for on-base housing. Right now, we are home.
As I look around at pictures from our travels and time in this military roller coaster of a life, I realize that despite the rocky transition each move may have been, there were lots of good memories in between. No matter where we go, we go together and that what makes it a home.
