Wife Of A Traveling Salesman

I’m the wife of a traveling salesman. No, my husband’s not driving through random cities whipping a briefcase out filled with weird concoctions and pamphlets. He’s the new and improved modern day traveling salesman – the “field rep.” So while on a Monday he may be just down the hall in our home office talking to his peeps in California, by Tuesday morning at 5 am he’s on his way to Orlando…or Kansas City…or Atlanta…or even Asia. And by Thursday or Friday he’s headed home to us.

This is usually the point where I hear, “Oh my god that must be so hard!” and “Wow! How do you do that on your own?” And I usually politely nod along and just say, “It can be.” But the truth is, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Is it hard sometimes? You bet. Do I freak out if I don’t get a call when I think his plane should have landed by now? Uh ya. Do I miss having dinner with my husband every night? Duh. Does it suck when our daughter is asking for “Daddy” and I have to say, “he’ll be home tomorrow”? It’s the pits.

But…

Have we paid for a plane flight, hotel room or rental car in the last five years? Heck no! We even get free breakfast. Do we get to run into Daddy’s office and give him hugs whenever he’s home? With arms wide open. Do I get to watch my Bravo Housewives without the eye rolls and flippant comments? Proudly.  Does happy hour start at 4:30 and not 6:30 after a brutal fight with traffic? Cheers to that.

I could go on and on with the pros and cons list but here’s the the real stuff: it focuses us. It forces us into alone time…time for ourselves whether we want it or not. That alone time keeps us grounded in who we are and what makes us individually happy. It’s allowed me to keep my independence and he his. And then, once we’ve gotten those few nights away you betcha we are ready for family time and date nights galore. Every moment becomes precious…never forgotten or taken for granted because come Monday, he’s on another plane.

It may not work for everyone but it sure does for us. So to those wives of the traveling salesman…I see you momma and you rock. Remember the good outweighs the bad and he’ll be home before long.

Sincerely,

Wife Of A Traveling Salesman