I have 5 more days left in Misawa, Japan, and a recurring theme is "I wish we had more time."
It's a typically refrain when it's time to move. It happened at Keesler. Again at JBER (Alaska). And now here at Misawa. To be completely honest though, it's a blessing to feel this way. To have made friends and family here. To not want to leave. Some people can't wait to get away from certain assignments, but as I reflect on my time here, I realize how much this place and these people mean to me.
My work family, with the exception of the Japanese Nationals and two Americans, is all new. So you would think that a significant bond wouldn't have formed, but it did. These are the people who sprang into action when my dad has his heart attack, making sure that I could go home and that my work load would be handled. The lunch dates, birthday celebrations baby showers. The new people came in and let me love on them like they had known me for years. (Maybe it was the cookies and the candy bowl.)
My gym family. Misawa is where I accepted that my ideal body was just that: Mine. I came to terms with what I was willing to do and was an absolute no fly zone when it came to physical fitness. From the encouragement when I was just getting started to the "You slipping, ma'am" when I take too much time off. This was the first time in a long time where I had a crew that I knew would be in the gym between 4 - 5 Monday through Friday and sometimes on Saturday. That's going to be hard to replace.
My framily. These are the people that help with my kids, check on me when life is going a bit batshit. (And buy too many shots of tequila). The talks about parenting, working, wife-ing, military spousing. I'm a firm believer that your soul calls in who you need when you need them, and these people are that for me. No official good byes because we cry, but the feelings are the same. We should've found each other sooner.
Like Michelle and I talked about last week, some of us are called to move because there are more people meant to make an impact on our lives and us on theirs. But damn, it's hard.