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Second Life

Since May of last year my guy and I have lived together alone. This isn't unusual for most couples, but since the very beginning of our relationship we've always shared our home with extended family. We kept a room ready for my favorite person, who would come and stay with us on weekends while she was at university, and then moved back in with us after she graduated. Once she moved to the Pacific Northwest we could finally call ourselves empty nesters.

Since I do most of the cleaning, cooking and caregiving work for our household I find living with just my guy very restful and peaceful. Even after nine months it still feels like a bit of a vacation for me. For the first time in my life I'm also able to focus on what I like to do rather than sacrifice my spare time to take care of someone else. As an introvert there is no place like home for me, so I've settled into our second life very happily.

My guy is an extrovert, and he's lonely. After working his entire life in retail and being constantly surrounded by people our second life has been a major adjustment for him. He likes to talk, and I don't have a lot of time to sit and chat other than at meals, so he's always on the phone with our nephew or my favorite person. Everywhere we go he also talks to everyone, and I do mean everyone. If you look in his direction he'll try to have a conversation with you. Lately he's been finding reasons to go out almost every day, I think just so he can get away from the house. Being isolated by the pandemic definitely makes the situation worse for him.

We'll manage, I know. I've been looking for outdoor events like flea markets and car shows where we can get away from the house and walk around a bit. I also ask him to take me out at least once a week; not that I need to go but to give him an excuse to get out of the house. He's the one I take care of now, after all, so I have to do what I can to make his second life a little more comfortable.

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