In case you haven't been following along, this is the third post in a series I’ve penned that are sponsored by Blue Shield of California. They wanted to hear stories from personal bloggers about moments in life that were unpredictable and turned out for the better even if they seemed to be anything but good to begin with.
I've already talked about nannies and our housing adventures but I was at a loss with what to write for a third.
That’s why I need to preface this by saying I never thought moving cross-country to move in with my girlfriend would turn out badly, I just didn’t know how truly life altering such a commitment would be.
Most people refer to commitment in a relationship around the idea of marriage. But after going through our first year of living with my wife, putting a ring on it was an easy call. I routinely tell my younger friends that marriage is easy, living with someone is another ball of wax entirely.
Seven years ago this month I left South Florida and a full-time job to head to Chicago, with no job waiting for me and a plan to freelance just for the chance to finally live with Courtney and be together as a couple.
The bad was definitely the first six months of adjusting to living with another person in a 950 sq ft condo in Logan Square. There is a point around six months where as a couple you breakthrough a wall, it might be four months for some, or seven months for others, but around that time someone’s patience will wear out and you find yourselves screaming at each other over something completely ridiculous, like say...if a ceiling fan is moving clockwise or not.
If you can get past that tipping point, you’re golden. Since that initial 2,000 mile move we’ve had to move together another five times due to housing woes, which is a test of wills in itself.
And how did the whole thing turn out for the best, or better than I had imagined? Take our two wonderful children out of the equation, and Courtney still has made a huge impact on my life from the day I hung the first Pearl Jam poster in our home.
A criminal procrastinator and slob is now relatively neat and only needs constant reminders to get stuff done about half the time. Courtney still complains when she has to remind me of things, but after seven years she has to do it a lot less than before.
She also lit a fire under my ass to get my professional life in shape, and here I am a pretty successful guy in the online writing world who gets to drive a new car every week.
Seven years ago this month I left South Florida and a full-time job to head to Chicago, with no job waiting for me and a plan to freelance just for the chance to finally live with Courtney and be together as a couple.
The bad was definitely the first six months of adjusting to living with another person in a 950 sq ft condo in Logan Square. There is a point around six months where as a couple you breakthrough a wall, it might be four months for some, or seven months for others, but around that time someone’s patience will wear out and you find yourselves screaming at each other over something completely ridiculous, like say...if a ceiling fan is moving clockwise or not.
If you can get past that tipping point, you’re golden. Since that initial 2,000 mile move we’ve had to move together another five times due to housing woes, which is a test of wills in itself.
And how did the whole thing turn out for the best, or better than I had imagined? Take our two wonderful children out of the equation, and Courtney still has made a huge impact on my life from the day I hung the first Pearl Jam poster in our home.
A criminal procrastinator and slob is now relatively neat and only needs constant reminders to get stuff done about half the time. Courtney still complains when she has to remind me of things, but after seven years she has to do it a lot less than before.
She also lit a fire under my ass to get my professional life in shape, and here I am a pretty successful guy in the online writing world who gets to drive a new car every week.
I didn’t start this column intending it to be a love letter to my wife, but sometimes things don’t turn out the way you think, they turn out better.
Life can be unpredictable. That’s why Blue Shield offers a wide range of affordable plans.
Sponsored by Blue Shield of California
