respect

when i moved in with g, i was a little nervous about space. living in a studio doesn't give either of us many options for retreating. hiding out. doing our "own" thing.

we basically eat where we cook, sleep where we eat, practice yoga where we cook...you get the idea. i thought the transition of me moving into an essentially one-person space would be borderline crazy. but it wasn't. and, surprisingly, it hasn't been.

over the course of this past year living together, we've learned how to negotiate our space. i know where he'll spend the better part of his morning. he knows when i'll be in the bathroom. we basically do a waltz when we are cooking in the kitchen, twirling past one another to put a hot pan down, gaining height on our tippy toes to reach for a wine glass. it's been a process, but it has been a great one at that.

i am in the midst of preparing for an advanced certification exam, and naturally, i need space. quiet space. distraction-free space. back in the day, i would retreat to my room, plant my butt at my desk for some odd-many hours, and study for as long as i wanted. seeing that i don't have that private space anymore, it's back to the negotiating tables.

how early should i begin studying, so as to not wake g up? where will i study so i don't have paper sprawled all over the place? how can i kindly tell g that i can't have a conversation right now because i'm trying to read?

thankfully, g has been an amazing support. he understands my focus and has made tremendous compromises so i can bury myself in the books. and for that, i love him all the more. the guy who respects my space, even when we don't have much of it.

what i saw when i looked up from the books: g practicing yoga with his ear phones on. silence!