Close Quarters

I'm currently on my sixth night in close quarters with someone. This is probably the first time I've spent so much consecutive time without a space totally my own in... three years, at least. I'm holding up pretty well, but I've got to say I'm already looking forward to getting back to my own house with my dog, my space, and no other people.

Friday night-Monday morning = My brother's girlfriend crashing at my house in order to spend as much time with him as possible between his return from Europe and departure for Florida. I invited her to stay with me Friday night because I was feeling sympathetic to the whole young love thing, and because some uncomfortableness has developed between her and my parents. Short version - she's young (read: clingy) and my parents think she should give my brother more space. Come on, she's 20 and my brother is her first all the way grown up relationship, of course she's going to act a little silly. So, yeah, I invited her to stay with me Friday night and that snowballed into the whole weekend of having a 20-year shadow. She's a nice girl, but, that's a lot of time to spend entertaining her.

Monday morning - now = Driving with my brother to his new home in Florida. Gotta love my brother, but he's 22 and has never lived on his own before, and tends to let other people do planning for him. As the "responsible adult" during this trip, I've quickly developed a new appreciation for my parents' perspective. I've been remind myself many times that my job is to help drive, his job is to plan, and if he can't plan, then having that lack bite him in the ass is a better lesson than me being a nag. Though, I had a brief conversation with him tonight along the lines of "We get there tomorrow, and getting there is the easy part. Finding a place to live, etc. is where it gets hard. I suggest you start thinking ahead, or you'll regret it." Then I said I wouldn't bring it up again and I dropped the topic. It was enough of a nudge, though, it seems. He did some online research and made a few calls shortly thereafter.

You'd think that being 25 isn't much different from being 22, or 20, but I'm realizing how much difference just a couple of years of fending for oneself can make. Meahwhile, I'm taking time to appreciate what my experiences have taught me, and the wonderfulness of having a bathroom all to myself.