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LOL crouton. Love the sense of humor. Something that is mandatory when you are in sitches like ours!

Her reaction was one of forgiveness and understanding. And she thanked me for switching the laundry. When then chatted while I ate, caught up on where we each were on the projects at the old house, then prayed together and went to sleep.

We spent some time in conversation this morning (I work from home on Fridays) before she headed over to the old house to continue working.

We are both tired....and sore.......and stressed. In years past we would be snappy, passive-aggressive, and generally nasty and short with one another. We have been so much more of a team through all of this move and working on the house! It is so much better than the past.

Arshi, thanks. And I hope it helped. You're right as painful as all of this is personal growth is the opportunity. And you are so young! Even if he never comes back to the MR, you have so much life ahead of you to find true love with someone knew. Imagine being well into the 2nd half of your life and facing that prospect. Not that my sitch was scarier than yours, but at 35 (I was 36 when my wife had her first EA) if she had been a WAW I think I would have had a different perspective. Then again, I hung on for dear life then too, except that she wasn't saying she wanted out but that she wanted to work on the MR. (Sorry for the stream of consciousness nature of this rambling!)

Hongaku, thank you! You're right, the moment it came out of my mouth I wanted to take it back. That is definitely an improvement over just spouting things in the past and not caring.


M(53), W(54),D(19)
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Originally Posted by Steve85
The request was reasonable but it impinged on my goal of eating and going to bed. I should have said, cheerfully, "sure!" and done it.



Anger, resentment, and conflict are the result of un-spoken expectations....

Cheerfully said "sure" ???

Not so sure that I agree with that either....

Maybe SHOW her how you would like to communicate ...

So, before I give you my thoughts...

How would YOU have liked HER to communicate her dismay, if the roles were reversed ???

I think that anyone would gladly liked to have heard "sure" and moved on...

If she were that tired, cranky, and in need of cereal....

What would you expect from her ?

What would you LIKE to hear from her ???

How would you like her to communicate each of things to you ??

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SteveLW Offline OP
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Good questions all Mach. As always you are very thought-provoking.

I'd have to think about it, but clearly I wouldn't want her to respond with an "I guess....."

Maybe Sure! cheerfully wasn't right either, but "I guess....." certainly wasn't.


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Originally Posted by Steve85
Good questions all Mach. As always you are very thought-provoking.

I'd have to think about it, but clearly I wouldn't want her to respond with an "I guess....."

Maybe Sure! cheerfully wasn't right either, but "I guess....." certainly wasn't.



Maybe something like....

Hey Baby (or whatever moniker/pet name you call her), I was totally hoping for a few minutes to have a bowl of cereal and put my sore feet up. I will switch the laundry tonight, I would just like a few minutes first. Does that work for you?

Then actually DO what you say.

Words then actions that match...


Balance my friend....

Ask for what you want...

Let YOUR wants and needs be heard as well....

Relationship is a two way street, just keep your side clean....

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SteveLW Offline OP
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I see. So I should have taken care of my need first and then did what she asked. I think that would have worked.


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Hi Steve, I am glad your sitch is evolving forward. Take your time, be patient and try to enjoy the ride.

Hoping the best for you and your family!


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Originally Posted by Steve85
I see. So I should have taken care of my need first and then did what she asked. I think that would have worked.



Kind of....

What I am trying to say, is that it is okay to verbalize your needs too.

It seems that you had always had an agenda, that you weren't real good ( as most guys aren't) at verbalizing....

Why not say what you are thinking ??


It's the balance that I was talking about...

Ebb and Flow buddy...

I am sure that there are times when you would have walked in, she asked, and you would gladly do what she asked without any problem...

There will be times when you walk in, she asks, and you have something else on your agenda. It doesn't mean that you won't do what she asks, it just means that you have a want/need that you want/need first.

Just verbalize your needs/wants/frustrations, rather than letting them build up....




Would you call yourself an introvert , or an extrovert ??

Your spouse ? What would you say that she is....???

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I am almost a 50/50 split between intro and extro according to my Meyes-Brigg.

My W is a solid intro.


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In what way are you an introvert ?

In what way are you an extrovert ?

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Mach1, I am very outgoing and get recharged at times through social interaction. But at the same time certain social interaction takes it out of me and I need downtime to recharge. Like I said, the Meyers-Briggs test had me at like 52% introvert and 48% extrovert.


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