If it were easy, it wouldn't be interesting, right?
In a couple of days, I start getting into what will probably be 10 weeks of the most intensive studying I have done yet, all in preparation to take the most important exam of my life, the Bar exam. For three years, I have heard the horror stories of Bar exam preparation. Tales of students holed-up in study rooms for weeks on end, never seeing the light of day, losing 20 lbs (or sometimes gaining 50 lbs), and never sleeping. I have heard stories of spouses divorcing their Bar-prep student because they just couldn't take it anymore. There have even been rumors of Bar-prep induced suicides and sometimes, murders. Whether or not all of that is actually true, the fact is, it is gonna be tough. Long days of studying, trying to memorize impossible amounts of information, and most of all, stress. Lots and lots of stress.
My family and I have been planning for this important and inevitably stressful time. We realized that with two young kids and a husband, my Bar prep period was going to be a little more complicated than traditional students, but it wouldn't be impossible, especially with Jimmy around to help me.
Enter Murphy.
Ah, yes, that ol' S.O.B., Murphy. Military families are all too familiar with Murphy's Law, the old adage which warns, "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." Murphy can attack military families in countless ways, but usually, he peaks his ugly head during deployments. I have had a friend whose car broke down the day after her husband left for a seven month tour. Several friends, myself included, whose A/C units crapped out, in the middle of a sweltering summer, while their husbands were a couple thousand miles away. And I have even had a friend whose roof literally fell down on top of her as she slept, while her husband was in the middle of a long deployment. Don't worry, she survived, and she handled it like a champ. In fact, most military dependants do. We are a tough group. Maybe that is why ol' Murphy likes to mess with us so much -- he knows we can handle it.
Well, Murphy must have caught wind of our family's situation because he decided to make things just a little more complicated. We recently learned Jimmy will be deploying again in a couple of weeks -- right at the start of Bar prep. Joy.
A younger, slightly more selfish, and cynical me may have looked at this deployment as the "end of the world." I may have sat here, pissing and moaning, crying "it's not fair!" But what good is all of that? No, instead, I am going to look at this as an opportunity and a gift. So, thank you Murphy. Thank you for allowing me to test my limits, to see how strong I can be, and to prove that I am truly independent. I am going to pass the Bar, Murphy, if for no other reason than because I am too stubborn to quit and let you win. I am going to study harder than I ever have, and I am going to do it while playing mother & father to my two girls. I am going to do it despite having to miss my husband and despite having to comfort two little girls who tend to miss their daddy a little too much. I am going to do it despite having to take care of the house, the dog, and the cars by myself. I am going to do it despite any other curve balls you decide to throw my way.
I am looking forward to the challenge, Murphy.
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