The Waiting Game

Another long break in the blog. . .

Next month I will be coming home. As exciting as that may seem for people at home, for the majority of us here it will be a nerve racking experience. Believe it or not, but I have more anxiety when I think about coming home then I have ever had while I have been here. In short: we are scared.

Inevitably, almost all discussions with my fellow soldiers at this point leads to talking about home. They chat excitably about what their plans are, where they are going to school, who they are coming home to, their jobs, their kids, and their spouses. Then they proceed with caution and nervous voices as they talk about what all those things actually mean. What am I doing when I get home? Who will be there when I get home? Will life be the same as it was before?

So, with only a few weeks left the tension is building and our patience is running thin. It's almost like punishment when you don't have any work to do because then your mind is relegated to thinking about home and the anxiety sets in again. I can only go to the gym so much and the rest of the time off I sit and stare at the ceiling. Most our our things are gone and the two bags left are ten minutes away from being packed. Now it's a waiting game and we are trying to find anything to make the time pass by unnoticed.

More next time,
Nick