More than I did just a short time ago, I now understand the difficulty of being the one left at home while my spouse takes his job on the road.
I’m not a trucker wife, and I would have great difficulty being one. After a week away from my husband, who traveled to Florida for a work-related class, I have an even greater amount of respect for the women who stay at home with the kids and see their husband a few times a month if they’re lucky.
The worst part about his trip, by far, was his emergency visit to the hospital the first night he was gone. I got a text: “Call me. 911.” Didn’t exactly do wonders for my stress level. Bobby was laid up in a hotel room, debating going to the emergency room that night for what appeared to be a blood clot in his leg — a condition that killed his grandfather some years ago.
He did go on to the emergency room, and thankfully it wasn’t as bad as we initially feared. He had a skin infection called cellulitis that was treatable with antibiotics.
Even with the immediate life-threatening danger erased from our minds, I was worried. His blood pressure was dangerously high, he was in pain, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to help him. As we stayed in contact by phone throughout the week, I felt a little more reassured that everything was going to be OK.
All this to say, drivers, please remember your loved ones back home. Use them as incentive to make healthier lifestyle choices. They care about you and want you to be well, so keep in touch and take good care of yourself.
