It’s fast-approaching — the return of our soldiers. Some are no longer counting down in months, but in weeks. Some will return before Thanksgiving, some more before Christmas and still more after New Year’s. And you can always tell whose husband will be home soonest, because their relief is palpable. When asked the generally dreaded question, “How much longer?” they smile brightly, and the answer comes out in the form of a relaxed sigh.
This excitement in spouses and children awaiting the return of their deployed family members should be contagious. It should make everyone around them — military or civilian — full of happiness. To the fellow military families, it should be a reminder that the end is in sight, even if it’s still months down the road. However, something else often manages to prevent the spread of excitement at times like these.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines envy as “painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage.” We see it everywhere, and we’ve all probably been guilty of embracing envious emotions at one time or another. In the military community, envy is prevalent. Whether it’s envy for a family’s ability to make a successful life for themselves or envy toward a family fully in tact while yours is facing the hardship of separation.
This envy prevents us from effectively supporting one another. If we’re busy finding reasons to prefer another’s situation to our own, we waste time and energy that could be put to much better use supporting and encouraging each other. Too often, we get so caught up in what’s going on in our lives that we forget that others need support, too. Trials come in all shapes and sizes, and a family facing the readjustment of a returning soldier may be struggling every bit as much as a family still separated. These are things envy makes us forget.
Some antonyms of envy are comfort, contentedness, good will and confidence. How about we give these a try?