I will never forget when we first started this blog, getting a message from another spouse that we weren’t relatable and didn’t accurately represent the WAF community because we didn’t have kids. Yes, you just read that correctly. I originally started this conversation on Instagram and wanted to talk a little more about it here.
That was a few years ago and it still shocks me to my core. In the beginning, we dreamed about this blog spreading strong, empowered women vibes. It didn’t matter to us then if you were a spouse, fiancée, or girlfriend and it still doesn’t. Our biggest motivator was creating a space that was uplifting and looked beyond age, rank, life stage, etc. We wanted everyone to feel welcome in this community! It is the best when you get to lift and empower another woman for who SHE is, not what her spouse does. This is what we want to be about.
I’m a gal’s gal. I love to champion the INCREDIBLE women in my life and it isn’t contingent on them being exactly like me. Jen and I have heard stories of women who have suffered in this WAF life because they didn’t have children or were “just a girlfriend”. It literally breaks my heart. Let me just say that I’m SO sorry if that’s been your experience and on this blog, every step of the way, we want to pave a NEW road for what it looks like to be a woman/WAF. I love that in this community, we have women who are just starting this journey with a partner in pilot training or starting basic training, as well as the women who could PCS in their sleep! We share what we know. We can all learn from each other. But we don’t all have to be like each other! I agree with what someone shared with me recently “let’s find the best in one another and lift each other up.” Amen, sister.
Have you ever seen a spouse at a social and assumed things about him/her without even getting to know him/her? Did you shy away from going up to someone because they seemed just so different from you? Today, I wanted to share this reflection to challenge us, as women, as WAFs, to be better. We’re all guilty of passing judgment a little too quickly at times. Instead of giving into that habit, let’s challenge it. Let’s open up. I want people in my life that are different and challenge me to see things through a new lens! I prefer surrounding myself with people that AREN’T like me. Hello, Jen and I couldn’t be more different! Each of us brings something unique to the table, let’s discover what that is. By doing this, we can become a part of the solution. One thing I have done recently to put this into practice is agreeing to be a key spouse – something I NEVER planned on doing. But I hope that through this, I can set the vibe and change the dynamic of what new spouses experience at my base.
Strong girlfriends ground us. They remind us who we are. They fly across the country to do our makeup for our wedding. They get us through the difficult moments when he’s been gone too long or when he returns and we have to find a new normal. We become family for each other when our other family is far away. Life is too short to spend time pointing out differences and I’m bound and determined to set an example for my daughter that women can be kind and love each other, even if they are a little different! Who knows? That woman who seems so different from you now might just be the person you were missing in your life!
Tell us about your experiences. How would you like to see us be better? We would love to hear from you.
