It’s my experience that travel changes you. In particular, within relationships. My relationships don’t always survive it. Either I will realize something important, or my partner will, and things will change, for better or worse.
Whenever I go out of town and my partner is left alone, she has time to listen to her inner voice, which usually tells her she’s unhappy. We’ve survived this until recently, until the day after my daughter and I returned from Disneyland. K had been less communicative than usual, told me she’d gone off her anti-depressant, and seemed really stressed. Friday evening she told me she was moving out of my (formerly our) house.
Saturday, she packed up her few belongings and drove away to her former roommate’s apartment, not looking back.
We are still talking, and in fact haven’t formally broken up. We are both relieved to be away from the fighting, and I’m enjoying having my home back to do as I please with it. I’m not enjoying doing all of the cleaning again, but since “she never cleaned,” which was my claim and a bone of contention between us, she has demanded to know how anything is different now.
Today has been a week. I miss her terribly but am waiting to see what this time apart will bring. I’m hoping for greater clarity on what I want, and a return to good communication between us, as well as a return to what’s important to both of us and a clear lesson on what we’ve learned.
Katy HD 