A compilation of things to NOT say to an Oilfield Wife:
1. "Don't you miss him?" ... No shit, Sherlock. He's my husband and he's been gone for 3 weeks. Of course I miss him.
2. "So how is he doing?" I get to talk to him for about 3 minutes out of the day, if I'm lucky. All I know is where he's at and that he's alive. I wish I knew more, but I don't... so maybe quit asking.
3. "Isn't that dangerous?" Yes, it is. I worry for his safety every second of every day, but thanks for bringing it to the front of my mind, that's very thoughtful of you.
4. "Will he be home for Christmas/Valentines/your Anniversary?" The schedule is 3 weeks on, 1 week off. That's it. If it falls within that schedule, then he'll be home. If it doesn't, then he I'll be on my own.
5. "You're lucky you get to have the house all to yourself and have some alone time!" I don't know what kind of sad, crappy relationship you have with your guy, but I'll never be glad our home is half empty, and I'll never be glad to be away from my hubby. I miss him every second of every day. I married him because I love and want to be close to him, not because I want to use him as an ATM.
6. "Isn't oil like... bad?" First off, if you're telling me that, get the hell out of Texas. Secondly, no, oil isn't "bad". It's what keeps our family afloat and living comfortably. Actually, it's what keeps entire cities afloat. And it's a necessity for the lifestyle we have in the US of A, and basically everywhere else in the world. We can't get rid of it, so don't get all "go green" on me because I happen to hold a Bachelors degree in Environmental Science and I actually know wth I'm talking about.
7. "So what do you do when he's gone?" Distractions. Lots of distractions. I do whatever I have to do to keep my mind off the fact that I won't see him until next month. I pay the bills, binge watch crappy Netflix, clean maniacally, re-arrange furniture, go to school, study, work 2 jobs, exercise the dog, pick up new hobbies, spend hours at Barnes and Nobel, keep myself fed... But really, most of what I do is constantly glance at my phone to see how long I have until the possible 3-minute phone call of the day. And maybe find funny pics to send to my hubby to try and brighten his day.
8. "Oh, you'll get used to the schedule. And he'll be home before you know it." Try this: Go an entire 3 weeks without using your right hand. Just drag it around limply and pretend it's not there. You can still survive, right? And you can still live your life normally. And after 3 weeks you'll be able to use your hand for 1 whole week! You can make up for lost time then.
... same principle. It's a life we have chosen, but it's not always easy, so stop undermining our feelings.
So...disclaimer. Life isn't quite as miserable as I make it sound, I'm pretty dramatic in writing, lol. P and I have been separated due to work before and this time around isn't even half as bad as that was. I blame this sassy blog post full of sarcasm on the "writing bug" that hit me at midnight tonight because I took a 4 hour Sunday nap, haha. I love my hubby and I can't wait to have him home again, 17 more days!
