Roll with the Punches | Wearing Stripes

If you've been in the military longer than a day, you've heard the term:

Hurry up and wait.

That's what the military is all about. You will always be ready, even if the military isn't. That's actually the point of the military.

To always be trained, just in case. 

You're ready for battle, even if there isn't a battle to be fought.

Grab all your shit and bring it to formation, yes, you still have an hour or so before you leave - but you will be there.

Oh, and if you're not 10 minutes early to that hour early formation, you're wrong.

You will always be early, to the early formation.

It's just how it is.

You've gotta roll with the punches. 

After 13 years, it's second nature now. I don't sigh, roll my eyes, ask questions to why we are ready so early. (or at least not out loud or visibly)

I have been let down by the military before, and it'll happen many more times.

Not everything is going to be the way I want it.

Being a Reserve soldier, rolling with the punches is my second MOS (job title). However, it's a tad more difficult because you're not a soldier 24/7, you've also got a civilian job that needs to roll with the punches too.

In my case? I have to plan my own business around military events like battle assemblies, training, and other admin things. So I have a tad more flexibility but it's still annoying when you're told to be at training or a school, and you plan everything dealing with that event - daycare, travel, packing, paperwork - to only find out one week prior to event date that your event paperwork wasn't even approved because it was sitting on someone's desk for 2 months.

Reason? Because of them assuming something and didn't ask to clarify.

Sigh.

I know. Roll with the punches.

October is my photography business's busiest month because of the holidays and everyone wanting to update their family photos for holiday cards. I blocked off two weeks of potential client sessions to go to this school. And now I'm not.

Yes, now I get to reopen those dates for potentially earning more clients, but how many clients did I lose because I wasn't available when they needed me to be?

You get it? 

It sucks. It really does. 

Not only did it affect my personal business, but it also affected my military career because now I have to potentially wait till the next year to attend school, pushing off my professionalism status even longer.

But, you've got to roll with the punches. 

I get to stay home with the family and do all the Fall activities I was going to miss. Pumpkin Patches, pumpkin carving, I have more time to make the halloween costumes, I get to enjoy the Texas Fall weather in the mountains and relax.

Deal with it.

I put my big girl panties on. Did you?

Rock on!