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When Love Comes To Town

© Ceg Richardson

"At least you can get back to your normal routine." He said it like I should be relieved, like it was a consolation prize for watching him board a train with my heart in his backpack. And maybe I would be relieved - if I actually had something normal to revert to. My routine, however, is really only a continuous effort to remain preoccupied, to ward off the loneliness, to keep so busy I forget to miss him, or so that even when I remember, I'm too tired to do so.

Still, I can see how one might think I'd be relieved. After all, I'd been single for quite some time before we met. I'd grown accustomed to the luxury of choosing a Blockbuster rental with only the opinion of my cat to consider (he always approves), and to pouring skim milk into my coffee without even a blink as to whether or not there was a carton with a percent sign on it in my fridge. And I simply didn't have to make these little adjustments after we met. Considering that he lives eight hours away, it's rather safe to bet he won't be dropping in for coffee on a regular basis. And when he does "drop in", it will be for a bit longer than a coffee break...a weekend, a few days, maybe even a week. This time, we were lucky enough to manage two weeks.

Two weeks! Fourteen whole days of togetherness, love, bliss. It was wonderful, romantic, exciting and, well...slightly stressful.

Now rest assured I'm not lamenting about having to add a few extra items to my grocery list. Nor do I cringe when my laundry pile suddenly doubles in size. After all, I have more pressing issues to deal with. Like how to cram a few months worth of dating into a few days, or how to decide which of the twenty or so relatives clamoring to meet my beloved actually get squeezed into our already overcrowded appointment schedule. Then there's the voice mail left unanswered, the email piling up in the cyber box,the snail mail left unopened. And let's not forget those friends who've grown so accustomed to my usual availability that they suddenly feel left out or cast aside as my attention turns elsewhere.

Managing such issues in order to minimize stress may sound like an overwhelming task, but the goal is attainable. Here are just a few suggestions based upon what my experience taught me.