When it comes to the application process for significant others, there are two words that completely encompass the experience– frustrating and enlightening.
While Sam was off stressing over paperwork and interviews, I sat and worried about him. The processes takes an agonizingly long time due to the extensive information they require, and filing through all of the applicants takes quite a bit of time.
The day Sam was denied his first senatorial nomination was one of the hardest. You need to remember that this process is a hundred times as stressful for your significant other as it is for you. Being denied even just a small portion of it can ruin the entire application, and even worse, deflate your significant other’s confidence.
I sat for literal months waiting for information on this and that, and throughout the entire time, I had an internal argument with myself. I knew for a fact that Sam deserved to be at the Naval Academy. I knew he had the credentials. I knew he would make it. Furthermore, those temporary “no” responses made those feelings even stronger. (I can not deny I wrote letters to the DOD and USNA Application Office in my head on more than one occasion. One day I even found legal evidence to support the fact Sam shouldn’t be medically disqualified.)
Nevertheless, there was nothing I could do. The helpless feeling this brought was overwhelming. When Sam’s confidence would falter, or something would be denied, all I could do was remind him how much he has going for him, that one denied senatorial nomination means nothing, that there is still so much more to the process, that he deserves more than anyone to be there- and it shows. Staying positive for so long while your significant other feels like giving up is difficult, but sometimes you need to carry a little weight for them. They will carry some of yours later.
Even though I’m unsure the words helped him, they made me feel better. The more I thought about how amazing his records were, how much he had on his resume, and how he truly wanted to serve his country, the more I realized there was absolutely no reason for them not to take him, and if they didn’t, it happened for a reason. (Sam probably never wants to hear that phrase again.)
The most important part of this process is to simply stand by your significant other. No matter how much they feel like giving up, remind them of the reasons they’re doing this. Remind them why it means so much. And remind them how proud of them you are for it.
It’ll all work out in the end, whether or not you see it at the time.
(And to clarify the rumors- yes I did cry when Sam got accepted. Just a little bit.)
Podunk Relationship 