Living Outside Your Comfort Zone

Some very interesting things happened to us when we moved to Missouri. One of them being there are no malls, no fabric stores, and no Targets within any "normal" amount of traveling distances. There are a few chain restaurants around of our little town, but not a huge selection. A lot of people I have met that are also in the military, or have spouses in the military, lament that there is nothing to do around here - "Everything is so far away" they say to me. Or a lot of people will tell me how boring this town is.

Initially, I had adopted a similar attitude - woe is me, nothing to do, so, so bored. Then, one day I turned on the local radio station, and was astonished to hear how much there was to do around here. We are a rural community, and while not the most refined area, it is adorable in it's own way. Every weekend there is something going on in our town, or the two towns next to us that are about thirty minutes away. I realized that my boredom within this community was due in large part to me not trying. I was actively trying to not like this place, and what a truly shitty attitude to have. It was like when we moved to Anchorage, and I was hell bent on hating it... Now I long for those long winters, the community, the Iditarod, and all the crazy people that are born and raised in Alaska.

Being a part of the military community means that sometimes you move to towns and cities that are not your cup of tea. It means maybe not getting to chose the exact doctor or hospital you want. It means that maybe you don't get to go shopping all the time, or out to lunch all the time. It means that you have to learn to be flexible or you will end up a miserable jerk. It is essential to learn this trait, flexibility, so your children won't grow up to be miserable jerks.

Living in a small town means that people care about you. They know you personally, or know someone that knows you. You always have a network of people to call on, and you truly get to experience what the phrase "It takes a village" means. It takes a different kind of strength to live outside your comfort zone.