Living Single or Living

My husband works from home, but once a month he travels to the Atlanta, Georgia area to work from his main office for a week. Once a month I live like a single lady. Now before you start thinking I am a tart and run around on my man let me clarify. I am here at home keeping the home fires burning, but all the normal household tasks that we share become all mine. If something breaks, it’s my problem, trash night…that’s me dragging the bins to the curb, taking the dogs out…all me, all week long. There are many more items that become part of my agenda but I don’t want to bore you. Basically I become King and Queen of my domain. My youngest that is still at home with me will help out here and there, but the mental weight of tasks and life here at Casa Beadle are not hers to bear, they are mine.

The flip side of this pressure and stress is the opportunity to change up what is our “normal” schedule. My daughter and I have become accustom to heading out once during the “single” week and treating ourselves to ice cream. We also are much more laid back about dinner, choosing to forgo the usual dinner time routine for eating when we please or we go out to eat.  Along with all of this breaking of routine comes the random nights when my big high school girl turns into my little girl again and wants to sleep in Mom’s bed with her. These breaks from the normal routine have made the weight of responsibility a little easier to take.

I miss my guy when he goes on the road. I miss talking to him and snuggling with him. I also miss having someone to lean on or back me up when life throws me a curve ball, trying to share the burden over the phone just doesn’t cut it. I remember wondering when I was a single lady if I would ever meet anyone that would love me and now that I have that it is tough to give it up even for five days once a month. I find myself thinking about all of the woman that share their husband every day. Military wife’s for example that say good bye to their husband not knowing where exactly he will be and even harder when and if he will come home.

I can handle being slightly single once a month, better women than me do it every day. If it means we are able to be warm and safe, with a roof over our heads and a trip to Dairy Queen once a month, I will haul trash, take out the dogs and handle what I need to handle. Maybe I am not living single after all, maybe I’m just living like everybody else.