How To Love Someone You Can't Live With

When my partner and I met, it was not under the best of circumstances. She lived in Wisconsin and I lived in Texas. We talked about the problems we'd face since both of us had children. We didn't really know each other, having met online. Even so, we were much alike in certain ways and got along well. I had two grown sons here in Texas and she had a grown daughter and two sons in Wisconsin. Suffice to say we have never lived alone, just the two us. It has always been with someone, either a room mate of a relative. For six months, I lived in Wisconsin with her and then she followed me down to Texas, a place she never dreamed of living. And by the way, She is Scottish, born and bred although she's been here for some thirty years, she still has that thick Scottish brogue. Oh, and my grown sons live with me right now. They moved in a year ago, wanting to move to a place here in Austin they could afford...it still hasn't happened. We loved Austin and planned to make it our home until the problems started. She didn't like living with my sons and rightly so. We weren't living alone, something we had looked forward to when our last room mate left. And then my sons had contacted me...could they stay with us in Austin until they found a place? Three months tops and they would be moving out. Only it didn't happen that way. My sons looked for a place, but every place they considered was too expensive. And so the months went on until it was a year and then over a year passed while they still talked about moving and trying to save money for a place. Meanwhile, things in the house were getting ugly. The stress level was so bad that everyone was feeling it, even the dogs, of which we have three. But my partner and I were feeling it the worst. We began to fight, something we never really done before. For a year, I tried desperately was to keep the peace while my partner got louder and louder and more vocal, more and more upset about the situation. And she began to not only take it out on my sons, she began to take it out on me. There came a time when she had to go visit her daughter in Wisconsin for three weeks. I used that alone time to think, really think about my life in general. I decided the drama and tension had to go, no matter what, for everyone's sake. I also decided if the situation was so terrible for my partner, then it was time for her to find another place to live and she agreed. But when she started looking, she also realized that Austin is quite expensive and couldn't find a place she liked or could afford. Out of desperation, my partner decided to put up a tent outside in the back yard and that is what she did and not a tiny tent either. A large roomy tent with music, fabric draping and rugs and blankets with a futon, the way she wanted it. She took great care to waterproof it and it is a place where she could go and be alone. That is where she sleeps, where she lives for the most part an it has worked, for now. People have made comments, but it is what we need at this time. Will my partner and I stay together, who knows? We do love each other very much and want what is best for one another. That is what is important, after all... Until Next time... love and Light To you all, LadiofZen