Does anyone else feel like a fraud?

I feel like a fraud sometimes. When I am at a reading of my book or teaching a writing class for Adult Education, I wonder when someone will reveal me. It is inevitable, isn’t it? You work very hard to be good at whatever you are good at, then doubt yourself even though you have no basis for that doubt. It’s human nature, apparently.

As a military spouse, I have not had to deal with a lengthy deployment (knock on wood lest it happen now that I jinxed it!), and I have not moved around too much (only five times in 12 years). Yes, there have been many TAD’s and duties, but a week here or there, or one night alone in bed is nothing compared to what other spouses deal with on a regular basis. In short, I’ve been blessed.

The problem is that sometimes I feel like a fraud and not a real military spouse. Then I remember we are all on standby. As a milspouse, we are all waiting for that call every time we hear something on the news. We are all aware of that special set of uniforms tucked away at the back of the closet. We are all aware that we may have only 72 hours to get things in order and prepare the kids, and that 72 hours is if we are lucky. Many have less time than that before their husband or wife leaves for a while.

The point is not to feel like a fraud or dredge up any guilty feelings if you have been blessed as I have. Go with it. Revel in it. Just make sure to help out someone else who has not been so blessed. We need to take care of each other because we are all supporting our country by supporting our active duty member. Be proud, stand tall and thank you for your service.

NEWS OF NOTE:

Click and Connect: Find a Battle Buddy

May 13, 2008 Andi - SpouseBUZZ is all about connecting with one another and sharing our collective "married to the military" experiences. We've updated the long list of milspouse bloggers that we've managed to gather from previous posts. Plus, additional links that you've sent our way have been added. You may find that there are some spouse blogs you can relate to more than others, so browse the links and try to find a battle buddy (or twenty). Sit back, click and connect.

I'm one of them! - Rosemary

Spouse Career Advancement Initiative Extended
by Barbara A. Goodno, Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2008 – Career and training opportunities for military spouses just got better, as the Defense and Labor departments’ career advancement demonstration project has been expanded to include all active-duty military spouses, along with four additional career fields.