More Growth

My plants have been progressing apace despite the torrential rains and bursts of cold or maybe because of them. With almost all my stuff packed away they are a comfort and good reminder. Things move in cycles.

Living with Nicole and her roommate, my roommate too for the next two weeks, has been more of an adjustment than I first thought. I didn't put much thought into what living with people would be like after living by myself for two years, more importantly what living with a significant other would be like.

Not to say that its bad, its just more of a process than I anticipated. Most of the time someone's around, you're sharing a frig and a bathroom and a mailbox and a sink with dishes in it. There's more space but it's not just your space, there's more stuff which is not your stuff. Solitary moments are brief, someone is always returning from somewhere. Living with someone you love has other complications to be figured out independent of regular roommate minutia. Rituals and routines to establish, expectations to fulfill or disappoint. Checking in: letting the other person know where you are and what you're up to. Dinner. Making time to spend together, talking before bed doesn't count. All the stuff is very new and a bit overwhelming. These past couple weeks I've had to adapt.

Just to be crystal clear I'm not complaining, the situation isn't a bummer or anything, it was just a little more work than I thought probably because I didn't especially think it through. Moving is a big change, moving in with people is a bigger one, moving in with a significant other even more so. Ultimately it's been great. More space, company, seeing my loving girlfriend every night, being able to talk in bed, sit on the porch and smoke cigarettes in silence, get up in the morning and make breakfast, all without worrying about my stuff or my clothes or my place because its all there.

I feel like Nicole and are growing a lot, learning a lot about each other. I'm excited to move downstairs at the end of the month and start this co-habitation in earnest.