Happy Together

I didn't light many fires when I was on tour.  Neither does Gary have a campfire when he is alone at the campsite when I am here in Seymour.  Fires are meant to be shared as the sun goes down and darkness descends.

On one such evening, we began to talk about our life together.  As a couple, we go back almost three decades of dating, each of us living solitary lives when we weren't together.When he moved in with me here in Seymour, we both worried about what our new arrangement would mean to our friendship. 

From the beginning, we knew we would need our own space. I have an office downstairs, he has his upstairs.  He has the basement for his workshop, I have my backyard garden.  I go on tours by myself, he goes camping by himself (with me dropping in from time to time).  Once a week during the winter, I have a meeting in Appleton during the day, and on Thursday nights, he is off to his own. 

We eat two out of three meals on our own, just meeting for a lunch or supper each day. When we camp, Gary likes to canoe on his own, and I like going on hikes.  We believe in giving each other space.

But within those parameters, we share so much.  We like to talk politics and books. We love nature, classical and folk music, and camping. We  both like to laugh.  We never run out of conversation.

It's been almost two years since Gary and I began living together.  How are we doing? I wondered as we sat by the fire at Lost Lake. 

Very well, it seems.  Gary told me how happy he is with our arrangement.  Neither of us see the need to change anything.

I am happy, too.