Reluctant

adj. unwilling or not keen

I am reluctant because I never imagined I would have this life. I never liked men in military uniforms nor did I think I ever would. Now baseball uniforms...those I like and have to wipe a bit of drool from my chin when seen up close and personal.

I hated unpacking, hated protocol, and hated mandatory fun.

But things change.

Somehow, somewhere, it happened one day. I am what I never thought I would be...a dependent and proud of it. And I don't cringe much at that word anymore. That dependent word can, if allowed, demoralize us independent reluctant military spouses to feeling less than we are.

But I say, "HA HA!" and will buck the system whenever I can. Like wearing pants to formal events and drinking beer from a bottle instead of a nice Merlot or fancy martinis while at the Officers' Club. And I will change my own air filters, dammit. Such a rebel, I know.

I am an independent dependent. Military terms and a few trillion acronyms will not change me. I still hate unpacking, protocol, and mandatory fun, but these are now treated like necessary evils.

On this journey of acceptance, I am finding more and more IDs who live their own life while integrating the military's culture instead of the other way around.

Want to know the reality of being a military spouse? These are our tales.