24 Wife Hours

The evening before he was set to have 24-hour staff duty, my husband asked me, “What are you going to do with your 24 wife hours?”

I had absolutely no idea.

Think about your own life for a moment. How often do you get any set period of time that is established as yours? Only yours.

You aren’t tied to anyone else’s demands, expectations, or even their company. No kids, no work, no obligations to anyone other than yourself.

For 24 whole hours.

What would you say? What would you do?

Still at a loss, I started to actually think about his question and how I have this time that’s most definitely all mine. Will I make it different than any other day? Would you?

With this in mind, I give to you the following list. It’s for my own fun, your entertainment, your inspiration, and for the sake of doing the one thing I’m sure I would enjoy whenever I have time that is completely all mine—writing.

Doing the Basic Things

1. Eat. I don’t know about you, but I eat differently when he’s gone. Sometimes this looks like devouring whole boxes of macaroni and cheese or tackling an oversized burrito along with chips and queso. My brother certainly warned my now husband that I “eat like a linebacker.” Other times, I bench my inner linebacker and just don’t eat. Husband’s not here, and it feels like regular things like eating just don’t matter.

2. Sleep. Who exactly am I kidding? I do this whether he’s here or not—at all hours of the day, any chance I get.

3. Chores. Hold up! Wait just a minute now… That isn’t a verb. I’m not doing that. Please disregard this option as any kind of inspiration.

4. Caffeinate. I will sip on tea, please and thank you. Even though I do so miss the tea from my favorite coffee shop at our last duty station, I can’t believe how lucky I am to be in green tea heaven. I love you, Japan.

5. Walk. Why not drive, you might ask? Driving is for the birds and I apparently enjoy staying in my pajamas more than having access to our shared car. Did you know that Marine Corps bases have a dress code for when you’re out and about? I didn’t. Not until I lived on one.

6. Chuckle. At myself. Care to join me anyone? (Cue crickets…)

Doing the Productive Things

7. Write. This blog post. Check!

8. Budget. Hello there, bank account. I haven’t seen you in a good two months. Nice to know you’re still around.

9. Wash. The dishes? The laundry? My face? Nobody can really tell what type of soap I might stumble upon in the span of my wife hours.

10. Prepare. There’s another job fair coming up soon, so it’s time to get more resumes printed and cross my fingers.

11. Shop. Not for anything fun, mind you. This is the “being productive” section, as you might have noticed. Those groceries and rolls of toilet paper aren’t going to buy themselves, my friends.

12. Focus. Stop daydreaming about how Mr. Jones might be looking at me and get back to number seven. Thanks a bunch, Counting Crows…

Doing the Adventurous Things

13. Travel. There are buses, taxis, even an airport. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be arriving home, pulling my suitcase along, when my husband arrives surprised to see me as I hand him his “someone I love went to some awesome destination and all I got was this T-shirt” shirt.

14. Taste. Something new. Ten years ago, when I came to Japan for the first time, I tasted tripe. This year, I tasted octopus crackers and cheddar cheese ice cream. I’m definitely not ready to taste habu sake—but I’m sure I could find something else as a surprise for my taste buds.

15. Socialize. Yes! This counts as adventurous. I really have no idea how the rest of you find your tribes over and over again at new duty stations, but truth be told, I’m struggling to do so this time around.

16. Dance. I will if you will. Nobody’s watching.

17. Explore. Who knows where that sidewalk goes, or what’s inside that PCS box that hasn’t be opened for the past three moves?

18. Experience. Something worth remembering. I plan to. When my husband gets back and asks what I did with my 24 wife hours, I sure hope I have something to say.

Doing the Real Things

19. Feel. I feel different when he’s gone—an extra hour, a day, a trip, a deployment—the amount of time away doesn’t change this feeling. My husband is the perfect person to make me feel better. About anything. He even made me feel better about him having to work a 24-hour shift by asking such a though-provoking question.

20. Recognize. These hours are mine, and I know well enough that they’re partly because of my husband. I have this free time because he doesn’t. Free time because he’s been patient and supportive through my current months without a job of my own. I have the freedom to do 24, zero, or even a million things because of him and other service members who protect that freedom.

21. Appreciate. Today, I’m thankful for so much. I’m right here, right now, with many blessings to be glad for. These 24 hours and any hours we each get are a gift.

22. Share. I’ll be so glad to tell my husband about my wife hours when he gets home, and I’ll ask about his duty hours. I had fun telling my parents what kind of post I was planning to write and sincerely laughed when my mom proved my point by saying they didn’t have anything going on tomorrow and didn’t know what they’d be doing. Most things can be made better when shared with other people. I’m happy to share my list with you, my 24 hours with you. I invite you to share what you could be doing in the comments section below.

23. Enjoy. Oh man, I’m having a good day! I hope you are, too.

24. Believe. These 24 hours are going to be remarkable. And worth it.