Around the same time that my husband went overseas, my work schedule changed, and I all of a sudden found myself with a lot more free time than I was used to. I was not sure what to do with it. I think it is probably a common issue to find yourself with more time than usual when your spouse is away, whether that is on a business trip or deployment. While I am sure having children helps to fill in some of that free time, there was hopefully some time that you would spend by yourselves that you are now not sure how to fill.
These are some of the things that I found myself doing. After the house was spotless and I didn’t know what else to clean, of course.
Devotional Time
Something that really filled my time was adopting a very lengthy devotional time. When my husband left, we still wanted to read the Bible together. We decided to start at the beginning, and we created a Google Doc to discuss our thoughts on each chapter. When I got to Exodus, I found myself wanting to know more about what was going on and sought out a commentary. What I found was Through The Word, which, as a side note, I highly recommend to anyone who is looking to learn more about God and the Bible. I have learned more about how amazing a book it truly is and how it all fits together in the last three years than I did in the first 20 of my life combined.
I focused on spending a lot more time praying as well. Taking the time to write my prayers down forcing me to focus on the task. Altogether, the whole process would fill about an hour of my time in a way that I think was very well spent.
Exercise
Due to previous time constraints, I had always kept my workouts to about 20 minutes. That was no longer an issue for me, so I started to go longer and increase the intensity. Eventually, I even got some weights from the thrift store.
This is a great use of time. Not only did I physically feel and look better, but the exercise helped with my mental state as well. There is also the fun bonus of being able to send a nice progress photo to your spouse. It gives them something to look forward to when they get home.
Kitchen Skills
Having a little extra time on your hands can be a wonderful time to learn some new skills in the kitchen. I learned how to make so many new things while my husband was away. My goal was to create habits that I didn’t have to think about when he returned. One of the big things I learned was how to make sourdough bread. This was also the time I learned how to make all the other foods that I talk about in my post about easy from-scratch food for beginners.
If your spouse is anything like mine, they will love the results of these newly learned skills and look forward to coming home to try them out.
Arts and Crafts
There are so many things that fall into this category that you can try. Typically, these projects are something that you can start and stop easily. These can be new hobbies that you learn or a rediscovered pastime that you haven’t had time for.
Some of my personal favorites include:
- Crochet/knitting
- Embrodiery
- Sewing
- Quilting
- Paint by numbers
- Coloring books
Write To Your Loved One
This will look very different for each person depending on how long your loved one will be gone and where they are going.
I wrote my husband a letter every single day while he was gone. I would collect them all and mail out a week’s worth at a time to keep the postage cost down. When we weren’t able to talk on the phone, I would send him an email as well. Even if your spouse is out of town for a week, I still encourage you to send an email. Tell them about your day and remind them how much you love them.
I have a post on long-distance communication where I give even more ideas here!
Gardening
Depending on what your resources look like, this can be something that can take up a lot or little time. There are a whole slew of physical and mental health benefits to having a garden. I was in an apartment at the time, so I planted some things in old plastic food containers along with some thrift store bowls and had a wonderful time watching things grow.
This can be as complicated as turning your backyard into a vegetable patch or putting a little extra time into tending the front flower bed. Regardless, there is something wonderfully satisfying about watching things grow.
Reading
I was a big reader in middle and high school, but got out of the habit when I enlisted. I didn’t have the time or mental capacity. I was able to get back into it while my husband was away. There was also something comforting about re-reading some of the stories that I loved in school.
There are libraries everywhere, and in the age of technology we are in, you can even stick with the audio and e-books of a home library. The county I grew up in has a massive library system, and I still use their digital resources all the time.
I hope this was able to provide you with some ideas on how to keep busy while your loved one is away. If you have any more ideas, I would love to hear them in a comment below!
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Check out my homemade tallow soap on Etsy!