My Big Girl Panties Are in the Wash

"Put on your big girl panties" is a rallying cry we military spouses often invoke as a reminder to keep strong and carry on.

It's our way of getting off the couch, washing our hair, getting out of our pajamas and putting our best faces forward despite fear, loneliness and heartache.

Sliding into a pool of self-pity is dangerous business for military spouses. Well, pretty much for anyone. The big girl panties are a light-hearted way of reminding us not to go there.

But sometimes, we need to.

Circumstance can conspire to get the better of us. Sometimes it takes nothing at all to set us off.

A few weeks ago, I had a tough week. A (teeny, tiny, super minor) medical procedure (I consider administering Neosporin to be a medical procedure, but rest assured test results came back A-OK), holiday stress, chores, conflicting commitments, missing my husband, yadda yadda yadda… all conspired against me and I was sad. I wanted to curl up and hibernate. But there was so much to do.

I needed to put my big girl panties on.

But I had been wearing them for far too long as it was. They needed a break. I needed a break.

So the big girl panties went in the wash. While they were being cleaned, fluffed and dried, I caught up on some TV shows in the DVR, read and – best of all – had myself a good cry. (There may have also been some ice cream involved. I can't remember.)

My mini-breakdown was just what I needed to recharge, emerge from my hole and face the world again. And I didn't even need the big girl panties afterwards.

I just needed a break from them.

Sometimes the big girl panties aren't the answer. Sometimes the laundry is. When life stinks, a fresh pair of undies goes a long way.