Showing posts with label relationship dynamics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label relationship dynamics. Show all posts

Wednesday, 4 July 2012

Settling


I’m feeling a lot more settled today. Something shifted during this full moon, I think and I have come out the other end seeing more clearly and feeling calmer.

One observation I made is that being in a relationship and having someone around takes the edge off things. Sometimes in a good way but sometimes more in the way in which a strategically placed piece of furniture covers a hole in the wall. It stops us from seeing cracks and holes in the fabric of our lives as well as in the way we relate to ourselves. Tony has only been away for about three weeks now and we still talk every so often on the phone but it certainly made me realise a couple of things about myself and my life already.

For example, that I rely on him to ground me. Great when he’s here but he's not. As much as it sounds romantic to say that someone “completes” you, I’m not so sure that it's actually a good thing. There’s this element of need and dependency that I don’t like. Surely two people who are already complete on their own can have an even better time with each other.

When Tony and I first got together we always used to say to each other:  “I’m not with you because I need you but because I choose to.” I don’t think we’ve veered off course too much from that but we may have started to rely on each other a bit more over the years.

With regards to cracks in the fabric of one’s life: I was certainly right with my assumption that any dissatisfaction in other areas of my life would stand out even more when Tony isn’t here to smooth it over. Experiencing that was unpleasant but ultimately very helpful. It helped me make some decisions that were overdue. Who knows how much longer I would have tried to just ignore it while hiding in a bear hug?

No. It’s all good. Things have been thrown up in the air and now they start to settle nicely.

Monday, 25 June 2012

Stormy weather


I had all these plans and imagined it all to be so easy. I thought once Tony is gone and I have no one to distract me or invite me to be lazy I’m going to be so disciplined and organised: I will do my meditation practice religiously every morning, I will eat a super-healthy diet, I will step up my exercise regime and I will study much harder for my exam in Buddhist studies on 20th July.

What can I say?

“Pustekuchen!” is what I would say in German. “Nada” in Spanish. In English I’m afraid I have to swear: f*** all is what I’ve done!
Why is this happening? What’s going on?
I’m even more skittish and unfocused than I normally am. I’m all over the place while at the same time it doesn’t really amount to anything. The result: I feel totally stressed with nothing to show for.

It’s like I’ve lost my centre of gravity, like I need Tony’s calm, “couldn’t care less” kind of energy that every now and then asks me to take time out and settle down for a bit. The question I ask myself is this: has Tony become the anchor that keeps me steady in the stormy sea that’s me?