8 Days A Month

by Lori
(Michigan)

We have been married for 24 years now. Of those 24 years 18 of them my husband worked in a factory.

Then the economy took a crap and things at the factory were looking grim. They started making wage cuts and the bills were getting harder and harder to pay.

That is when he decided to quit his job and become a trucker. I stood behind this decision 100% and still do. It is the best decision he ever made for himself. He is now in a job that he loves and has never been happier with any other job.

It has also been one of the hardest things our marriage has had to endure. The loneliness sometimes is unbearable. I try to fill my days up with things to do to keep busy but eventually I always have to crawl into that bed alone at night.

Thank God for cell phones! I don't know how couples did this before cell phones. We talk frequently during each day and without that luxury I seriously don't think I would be able to do this.

The time is a big issue too. The years have flown by and even though I am lucky enough to have him home every weekend I just keep thinking about the fact that I actually only get to be with him 8 days a month. That's only 96 days out of 365 days a year.

I have a hard time knowing that I am going to spend my life with just a few days a year with the man I love.

Life doesn't stop when he gets home so there are always so many things that need to get done or people he wants to spend time with (our grown children and our beautiful granddaughters mostly)that it is so hard to find time for some quality "US" time.

Sometimes it feels like we are strangers who just happen to share the same home every weekend. It is very hard to keep the romance going in a relationship on so short time.

We spend a lot of time reminding each other why we fell in love in the first place and why we have been together for all these years.

We have had some hard times and our ups and downs but I will always be here waiting patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) till he gets home. I am proud of how hard he works to make a good life for us.

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Aug 29, 2012
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new at this too after 28yrs together NEW
by: Anonymous

we have been married 28yrs. my husband worked in factory job for those yrs and retired. He had always wanted to drive a truck, so this year we agreed he would try. He is out 2-3wks at a time and it is really an adjustment for me. haven't figured out what I am about now. kids grown and live all across the country. so I know I have to find something for me. miss him terribly but am proud of his achievement and his determination at age 62. we have a great relationship and talk regularly. thank God for our faith and love for one another or this would never work. not sure where I am headed but know God has a plan for me too. takes allot of prayer to overcome the loneliness and trust in God to not worry about him.

Jul 13, 2012
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Good thing he is home for the weekends NEW
by: Anonymous

Well then it is good he is home for the weekends! Because the weekdays are the days that are the easiest to fill, while the weekends seem to take the longest to go by when no one is home. So you can still count your blessings. There are some drivers I have heard that are not home for months at a time. My trucker is home 2 days a week and all holidays off even 2 weeks for x-mas and new years and our 2 vacation dates we take each year!:) Maybe one day he will have a truck job that isn't so dangerous and you can climb on board and both site see together???

Jul 13, 2012
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Wish I could NEW
by: Lori

Going with him would be great! Unfortunately this is not an option for us. He works for a company hauling hazardous materials and they are not allowed riders. Believe me if given the chance I would be in the truck before him waiting to go!

Jul 12, 2012
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pack your things NEW
by: Anonymous

throw them in the truck and sit in the passengers side and say where are we going today. dont know if you have went OTR with him or not but it is fun fun fun stuff, seeing all the sites.

Jul 12, 2012
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Go with Him NEW
by: Anonymous

Here's a solution, go with him 2 weeks out of the month, then you have 2 weeks to tend to home stuff. Then you will not only have 8 days a month with him but 22 days out of the month with him that adds up to not just 96 days a year but 264 days a year! Wow that adds up huh?? :) Easy enough said??

I love to travel myself but prefer to stay home as truck driving is nothing like traveling. Long hours stuck in the front seat with long hours stuck in the back cab waiting for the next stop cause these guys can sometimes drive 8 hours at a time before ever stopping. When I am with him I have to stop every two hours to use the restroom ( I'm not peeing in a bottle Okay) this can seriously set back his timing to get to their drop off location. Opps over slept because of to much time in the hay the night before, can upset them cause now they are really off time for the delivery!! which causes them to push themselves even harder eeeegaggg must I go on?? There is more! :) lol

All I can say is COUNT your blessings and your biggest one is the fact you have remained with the same good man that you started out with, you ARE very lucky and God is on your side with time things will get a little easier! God Bless and keep strong. :)

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