I am writing this post from my cabin in the mountains, the most peaceful place on earth. The only sounds come from a babbling brook and my rocking chair. The closest people are a half a mile down the road. There is no Wi-Fi and only splotchy cell phone coverage. My family and I are unplugged. And it’s wonderful.
When I was a kid, we went on vacation every summer. It didn’t matter if we were road tripping to Cape Cod or Myrtle Beach. All that mattered was that once a year, the four of us hopped in the car and headed somewhere that wasn’t home, somewhere that didn’t involve work schedules or math homework or swim team practice. It was a time for relaxing and bonding. Although back then words like Internet and iPhone and Facebook would have sounded like a foreign language, those family vacations held their own definition of unplugging. They were a way of disappearing, of forgetting that the rest of the world existed, of getting back to our origins and reminding ourselves that ultimately, WE are all that matter in our universe.
Wow, that sounds really selfish doesn’t it? Well, sometimes we need to be selfish. As military families, we spend a large chunk of our time being selfless. Our servicemembers selflessly go off to war. Our children selflessly relinquish time with 50 percent of their parents. We MilSpouses selflessly do what needs to be done on the home front to support our spouses’ calls to service. After all that selflessness, we need to take any and every opportunity to focus on ourselves, on our families, and unplug from the rest of the world.
Unplugging doesn’t require a cabin in the mountains or a road trip to some beach resort. It doesn’t require blocks of leave or even an entire uninterrupted weekend. Unplugging is actually so simple we sometimes forget it’s possible.
Turn off your cell phones. Log-off of Facebook. Leave that Google search for another day. Then go for a scenic drive. Stop for a picnic. Have conversations. Even if it’s only possible on that one Saturday your spouse is home and your kids won’t be missed at the swim meet. Take advantage of it. Be selfish. Relax. Bond. Disappear. Unplug. You and your family deserve it.
How do you unplug with your military family? Take our poll check out the results below.
Editor’s note: While she wrote this post from her cabin, Heather obviously uploaded it after she came back to civilization. No intention of irony here!
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We unplug well–but this did bring to mind another issue that comes up where we have been accused of "being selfish". I don't know if anyone else has this same problem, but I assume they do. The difficulty we face is having everyone want us to come to them. We do at times, and its always great. But there have been many times where I wanted to scream–he is gone 16 hours a day! He deploys! I keep getting ripped from my jobs and friends every time we move! We are in a constant state of change! Please just come visit US!
Its extremely difficult to do these visits home–between my husband and I, we have family across two states, across the country. Both our parents are divorced, so we have to visit families separately. My two best friends luckily stayed within four hours of each other and my family, so we are able to combine with family trips to see them; but my husband doesn't have that luxury. No one in our family is well off, I would go so far to say that everyone is struggling financially in this economy, so we are expected to foot the bill for all visits home without ever getting a return visit here. I wish there was a better balance!
We unplug well–but this did bring to mind another issue that comes up where we have been accused of "being selfish". I don't know if anyone else has this same problem, but I assume they do. The difficulty we face is having everyone want us to come to them. We do at times, and its always great. But there have been many times where I wanted to scream–he is gone 16 hours a day! He deploys! I keep getting ripped from my jobs and friends every time we move! We are in a constant state of change! Please just come visit US!
On family trips or outings, this is a must for me. Is it selfish – not at all. When I am spending time with the two most important people (my husband and son) to me, everyone and everything else can wait.
However, I find it challenging to persuade my husband (considering his position) to completely unplug from work – even when on leave. The problem is not him, but his chain of command – IMHO. Then there is my 19 year old son who thinks that, with-out access to his cell phone, the world will move on with-out him.
There are times I wish cell phones were never invented…and times I thank God for them. Thankfully I can get them both to unplug for a day trip, but more than that doesn't seem plausible.
I wish my husband could unplug. I swear his phone is attached to his hip and every time it beeps he has to check it. FB posts, email, can they be that important? Text maybe, but can't it wait for just a few minutes? I wish he could lose his phone for just an hour or two.
We have a slice of this everyday. No electronics allowed at the dinner table. I know my husband has to check his phone if it rings, but he's very good to not answer it unless it's imperative (read: superior calling). If it's a text, he replies later.
It was something we agreed on quite awhile ago, and we spend 30 minutes focusing on our family. It's wonderful!!