One of the great things about this retirement lifestyle is that finally, after all these years going separate ways because of W O R K, Ev and I are able to spend inordinate amounts of time together. It was hard at first to adjust to 24 hour togetherness, the dream of newlyweds, huh? When we first retired in 2007, I disliked waking up to, “What will we do today, Dear?” on a fairly regular basis. Yes, we had a new home to decorate, a yard to plant, new friendships to nurture, and our kids’ activities to keep our lives filled. But soon there was the sheer boredom of few dates on the calendar and few activities to make days interesting.
I’ve often kidded that I am the talker and Ev is the listener. The common statement is that Ev uses his 100 daily output of words before 9:00. It’s true. I had to get used to silence. The first two years were not the fun time I thought they would be. Eventually, I went back to work to get the stimulation I needed. That ended last spring.
So now, I’ve turned to writing. It’s quiet, so Ev’s ok with that, it’s stimulating, so I’m ok with that, and when we have a joint project to work on, that’s together time, so we’re both ok with that! Perfect solution, right?
Until this weekend. Ev is off to Tampa for an Elders Retreat. I am alone, and already, two hours into it, feeling very lonely. It’s like a big part of me is missing, and although I know it’s temporary, God Willing!, three days stretch out with no sense of purpose on my part, like pleasing my husband, hoping his cold-bronchitis is better, having a partner to play a game with, or watching him interact with Kaley tonight when she comes for babysitting.
I’m not built for alone. I’ve already done the email, the facebook, the blog, finished the book I was reading, and fed the cats. It’s too wet outside to work in the garden; the house is in reasonably good shape after entertaining three times in the last week or so, hmmm. I guess I’ll go get out of my jammies, put on my face, and read that book that’s beckoning. Does that sound like a plan?
Meanwhile, I’ll pray that the elders have a wonderful weekend retreat, get lots of church planning done, fellowship well with each other, and just maybe, Ev will think about me when he finds the little love notes I packed in his bag…or, he’ll just throw them away and fail to mention them when he comes home. Either way, I feel better putting them there.
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