Day four of the boring blog titles...

Stuck to yesterday's route, which Jay estimates at about a mile and a half to two miles. It still seems a paltry distance, but we've both agreed that we'll be at three miles by next week. That's plenty soon enough.
Have I mentioned my calves ache? Mental note to stretch more didn't really sink in.

Had an audition last night, which was really fun, but could have gone a little better... in any case, I'm glad I went. Had fun with the audition itself and got the chance to catch up with some friends I hadn't seen in a while. Like my pregnant friend Kristi, who is about to pop!! We're doing a maternity photo shoot and a belly-cast next week and I can't wait!!

Kristi and I talked a tiny bit about relationships, which has been the subject of many conversations with friends lately.
One of the wonderful characteristics about my friendship circle is the age range that it encompasses. I have several young friends who are just getting married, many friends that are into their 7th-10th year of marriage or on their second marriage, and several friends who have been married well over 15-20 years. It's interesting to look at the wide demographic and the various states of the relationships they represent.
I've been doing a lot of analyzing lately. Two of my dear friends are at crossroads in their relationships. Both stories are frighteningly similar.... a 'rough time' extended into months and years of financial, emotional, spiritual and physical struggle and as the dust settles, both are left wondering which way is up and why they're even together.
Relationships are hard. Relationships are hard because people are constantly evolving. Constantly learning.
When that happens, habits and routines can change, opinions can change, convictions and ideals can change... until one morning you wake up to find a leftist Liberal in bed where your conservative Republican husband used to be. Or perhaps YOU are now the leftist Liberal feminist and your conservative husband is left to freak out about where his barefoot and pregnant wife disappeared to.
It's difficult to recover sometimes, which is why I think so many marriages end in divorce or succumb to infidelity.
Faith-based marriages aren't always better off, but when the dust settles, the common commitment to God is often a good platform from which a dissenting couple can make a 'leap of faith' in their relationship.
But it's not fool-proof. Obviously.
And people... all of us... are fools.
In our common quest for companionship or the common fear or distaste for living alone, we make mistakes. We enter into relationships without the wisdom or experience to tell us 'how' to make it work successfully. Or we enter into relationships selfishly that just make us feel better about who we are... temporarily.
And it is temporary.
If I had any words of wisdom (which I really don't) I'd tell my friends that 'this too, shall pass'. That going through a 'rough time' in your marriage is normal. Common. There will be friends and family that will listen to you vent and even perhaps over-dramatize your situation; offering quips like, "I can't believe you put up with that!" or "Why do you let him/her treat you like that?" And I don't mean in response to abuse, abandonment or neglect, but in response to something like not putting the toilet seat down or a hot verbal exchange during an argument. It becomes harder to distinguish your emotions from those you've elicited from others... and that just leads to more confusion. Hence mother's warning not to involve friends and family into your private affairs at home.
Trust me... every time Jason and I had a public spat or a long-standing argument, the rumor boomerang came back with news of our dramatic break-up. Even I was over-dramatic about it at times, having grown up in a household where my parents didn't fight or argue much at all. When there was a disagreement, the house simply grew quiet... so the first time Jason raised his voice to me in anger, I was sure we were headed for Splitsville. I did myself a great disservice early in our relationship when I confided in friends that were more interested in sharing my dirty laundry with the gossip chain than helping me analyze and fix it. Gradually, I started seeking wisdom from people I look up to and respect... those who had been in successful relationships... didn't matter if they were 'married' or not. It made a world of difference.

I'm not always 'happy' about what is going on in my life or my relationship. Depends on the day. Sometimes I'm really steamed about the condition of the toilet seat or the state of my bank account. Sometimes Jason is really steamed that he can't find any clean boxers because I've been wearing them around the house all week.
What I can say is that I'm blessed. Blessed to have a car in the garage, a roof over my head, food on the table, a relationship with a man who loves me deeply, blessed to have a family that laughs and sings and talks to one another. Blessed to be part of a community that encourages others to continue learning and creating and evolving... regardless.
The 'rough times' are just that. Rough times. It's temporary. And without those rough times, we'd never appreciate the good stuff.

That's all I've got.

Speaking of blessings, though... we will be once again hosting our annual 'Orphan's Thanksgiving Pot Luck' again this year. I guess this will also technically count as our 'housewarming' since we've only hosted small private parties since moving into our new home on the east side. (represent)
I will post details on Facebook and in specific emails once we nail down times and such.

I'm sure I have a few construction-paper hand-Turkeys (circa 1999) to display around here.
And then I've gotta get my booty in gear for this dag-nabbed Christmas thingie everyone's talking about. Oy. Should probably get into the garage next week and haul out the half-smashed decorations.

Watson out.