A soldier told me this morning that his wife is stressed out because she has so much cleaning to do before he returns home.
He was incredulous. Who cares about cleaning? Not him. And how much cleaning really needs to be done?
I chuckled, as most every soldier and wife (including me and the wifey) are experiencing the same back-and-forth.
What soldiers need to realize (and what I told this soldier this morning) is that this impulse to clean is reflective of a larger anxiety about the coming chaos of reintegration and a desire to control something in the meantime.
Also, wives are often (or feel) judged based on the appearance of their home. Thus, they want their husbands to get a peek at what they have accomplished in the previous year (which can sometimes also feel mundane compared to what their husbands often endure).
Finally, wives, in their emotional intuitiveness can sense the upcoming struggles much better than their husbands, who often only see the sweet relief of being home. Thus, a clean home seems to provide a more sure footing, and one less thing to contend with, once the expected chaos begins.
So it's not crazy. This is another example of logical men lacking the emotional intelligence that grasps the enormity of the situation and responds accordingly. Thank God for our wives!
