My Wife Went to Disneyland Without me
My wife got back from a week-long trip to Disneyland -and she went without me. We love going to Disneyland together, but is has been a little while since we made the trek. It wasn’t that she got tired of waiting for me to take her. She and her best friend took her best friend’s grandchildren. They had a great time, even though it rained pretty much everyday. It’s great to have friends like that!
I stayed home and worked. I went about my regular routines, or at least I tried to. There is something about being without my wife that discombobulates me. I tell myself I am not going to, but when she travels without me, I end up going to bed really early. And I do mean early - like between 7 and 8 pm. I don’t think I get sad or depressed, but I do feel a little lost - a loss of routine and a loss of companionship. So I figure I can get caught up on sleep since I am not doing anything too important. And I go to bed.
The first night she was gone I stayed up. I had been gone on a writing retreat and I had some things to get in front of, so I stayed busy. The second night the 7 o’clock bed time bell tolled its beckoning and I submitted. The next night I pretty much did the same thing, but I had drank coffee too late and just laid there trying to sleep.
The next day one of my good friends called. He knows about my tendency to freeze up with no activity when my wife is gone. He called to check up on me. We had a good chat about this and that, including going to bed too early when my wife is gone. He reminded me that he and his wife were available to get to get her for dinner - all I had to do was reach out. I thanked him for that but inside I was pretty certain I would not reach out.
The next day arrived, and about mid-day, I remembered the invitation. I also remembered I was frustrated by being bed-bound and not productive in the evenings while my wife was gone. I reached out to him and asked if he and his wife could meet up or dinner. He said yes. We met up and a had a great time of eating and talking.
My wife has a good friend that she can travel with. So do I! My friend travels with me through my highs and lows, noticing my tendencies that I went to curb.
He reached out.
I responded.
That is a a good and easy formula to keep moving forward from the things that makes us lag behind.
Be that kind of friend.
Respond like that kind of friend.
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