Today sucks

[pilotwife3]

It does get better....it really does. This job seems to require an amazing amount of patience and understanding (on our parts). The stresses and pressures these guys go through is beyond any amount of comprehension we have (and we're CLOSE to them for goodness sakes).

The first couple of years my DH and I were together he missed a few of the 'big' holidays...I was devastated. I mean, I was raised on huge rah rah rah's for the holidays!!! I remember what he kept saying to me, which believe me did not help in the least at first....but he said that the day is just a day and it only means something when we can share it together. OMG! I felt like such a duh. These guys are flying to wherever, whenever and being stuck in hotel rooms over holidays with no restaurants open for miles. Sharing the holidays with people they either can't stand/don't know. Or laid over somewhere for training and only have 22.38 hours off between classes or sims. By the time they get to the airport, check in on stand by, try to sweet talk the ticket agent in order to rangle a ticket home, take the jumpseat with their legs wrapped around their necks for whatever it takes to get home (they still haven't have time to unwind yet). It's just brutal. I don't think they even know they're behaving this way. They depend on us so much...we're their lifelines.

This is a hard life sometimes. But boy, the benefits are so worth it. If can understand that these guys must hold the all time record in not being able to 'share' details or do crazy off the wall behaviour compared to the rest of the world, you'll do just fine