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15 Months Into This, How is It Going?

Mostly, very well.

The Good:

  • My stress levels have plummeted. My skin is clear, my respiratory system is vastly improved, and my overall physical condition is healthier. Some of that is having time to visit the doctor BEFORE I get run-down and sick, but some is just having the freedom to take care of myself.
    • For example, a recent cold sidelined me for nearly a week, but I'm back to normal now, rather than dragging myself around for weeks of back & forth to the doctor's.
    • When I am more tired than usual, I have the freedom to take a nap when it's needed.
  • I found that I got more done when I added in some substitute teaching, 2-3 times a week or so. It's actually easier to tackle the household tasks when I have the opportunity to get out of the house a few times a week.
  • The money is sufficient. I like the extra money from subbing, and if I make more than $5,000 in a single calendar year, I can wipe out one of those zero years in Social Security, making my eventual check higher.
  • I'm finally able to find some time for hobbies, volunteering at church, and working on my writing.
The Bad:
  • My husband has become more dependent on my handling a lot of chores. He's started adding in tasks that are quite time-consuming.
  • He also has trouble with my setting up organization the way I want to do it. He's had some challenges releasing control over how he expects things to be done.
  • Due to some medical challenges (both him and me), I haven't been able to visit family as much as I would have liked.
  • The de-cluttering goes on in fits and starts.
  • Den still wants to move to other locations, where we know no one. I've tried to get him to realize that, just because he enjoyed living there in the 60's and 70's is no reason to sell our current home, and plunge into a strange city. The other location he keeps talking about is Bradford - only 1 brother is still located there. He has a few friends who live there, so he thinks this would be great. That I might not want to re-locate to a city where I have no acquaintances, and - once again - start over, is lost on him.
The Ugly:
  • Medical concerns are taking up to much of our time - Den's recent medical issues meant that a significant amount of time was spent traveling to medical appointments, pharmacies, or on the phone with insurers. And, I had to deal with the orthopedist, podiatrist, and my own regular doctor on quite a few appointments this summer.
  • Our house is in pretty good shape, but the yardwork is really too much for us to handle. Den is not willing to pay for anything but the most basic maintenance (trimming the grass, occasional removal of leaves).
On the positive side, I've published 2 short stories, and am working on several other projects. Mentally, I wasn't up to prolonged work this summer, so I am only now getting back to work on them.

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