I went to Bikram yoga this morning, for the first time in ages. It felt great. It’s been a month and a half since W officially moved into our new apartment, and it’s been a whirlwind. I’m just now settling into a new routine- I joined a gym, and am determined to get my butt back in shape. The process of moving in together has gone smoothly, we’ve been running around buying shelving and extension cords and hunting down chairs on craigslist. We now have all the furniture in, all but two stray boxes unpacked and sorted and squirreled away. I realized this morning that in all the running around and doing, I haven’t acknowledged what an overwhelming transition this has been. Now that we are through most of it, I can finally take a moment to let everything seep in.
There are the changes that come with any new neighborhood- we’ve now sorted out which grocery store to go to for which items, where to drop laundry that can go in the dryer, and where to take the wash only stuff. Then there are the relationship bits- we’ve figured out a system for our finances so we don’t have to worry about who does the grocery shopping or who pays for dinner. We track our bills monthly so we can both agree where to splurge and where to cut back. We are learning to communicate about the small things- so we don’t run out of toilet paper, so I don’t buy bread when there is a half a loaf hiding in the back of the fridge I thought he’d eaten.
The biggest transition for me is simply the amount of time I get with W. It’s been hard for me to let go of the need to spend as much time with him as I can. For the first year of our relationship, we saw each other only on weekends, and that time was precious. I still find myself rushing home after work, or avoiding lengthy plans without him on the weekends. I’m just beginning to settle into this new life and let that go. Suddenly I can start volunteering again, even if it means an eight hour shift on a Saturday. I can go to yoga, or the gym, and not feel like I’m losing important time together. I can build a routine for myself knowing W will be here when I get home, and that is an amazing feeling.
(The photo above is W being a goofball at Bodega Head, more on our trip to California coming soon!)
