The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Trey Smith

I've already covered the ugly, so let's look at the bad and good of my impending situation.

In the bad column, if anything needs doing around here, there is no one else to slough it off on! Don't feel like walking or feeding the dogs? Too bad, I gotta do it. Don't feel like doing dishes or laundry today? They won't get clean until I do it. Wish somebody else would haggle with USDA? There is nobody else but me!

Even worse, what if something -- hopefully not me! -- breaks or doesn't work like it's supposed to? I am a very non-mechanical guy. More often than not, I go fetch my wife to have a look-see. While I sometimes end up being the person to fix it, I rely on her to give me directions. This option will no longer be available...unless I can maybe cajole my friend Dan to fill the void. :-)

But everything is not negative and dour. I realize there will be a few perks (though I would love to bypass them if it would mean that our little family could stay together). No more wrestling over who controls the TV remote. No more carousing around the house trying to find all of Della's dishes to put in the dishwasher. No more readjusting the shower nozzle so that the water hits my back and not my feet. No more meat for human consumption in the house.

Better yet, lower utility bills. Less food to buy. No one to interrupt me when I write my next fantastic blog post.

As with all things in life, there will be a yin and a yang, an up and a down, pluses and minuses. It is what it is and both of us simply have to deal with it.

I also realize that I'm not alone in this endeavor. Della faces several challenges of her own. She's going to a new place in which she knows no one without me and our pets. She will be living in someone else's home. She will be starting a new "job" and it's natural to be a bit anxious about how well she will fit in. She also has to do ALL the driving in, potentially, inclement weather. She has to keep her bank book balanced -- something she has not had any responsibility for since she was 20.

Yes, we both face many challenges in the coming months. I bet we'll be talking by phone A LOT!!