The holidays flew by and my once bustling, brilliant, pine-scented existence is now quiet. Here I am with a un-adorned home, rainy weather, and a husband who’s going to be traveling non-stop for almost three months. He’ll miss tax season and Valentines Day (which we don’t celebrate anyway), all the hang outs with friends and our weekly date night. It’s a bit overwhelming.

We have made an effort to spend a lot of time with friends over the last few weeks. Since we dont have family close, it’s important for us to stay connected to our community.  I wrote in my first post here at RoadWidows about how I dealt with all the changes in my life, the most major being that my husband went from working full time just 3 miles from our house to traveling in a touring band.  I was sad and embarassed about our situation and,

“I started to find myself ignoring my close friends and hanging out with people who knew very little of my personal life.  I was escaping the reality that I wasn’t happy with my life.”

That was two years ago.  I am much more content with my life.  I have learned the importance of sharing my life with others in a deeper way than what I was comfortable with.  It’s so important to find friends you can talk to.  I have become much closer with the people in my life who are apathetic, and at the same time, support of our situation.  I like to be with people who ask about him, where he is and how I’m doing.  While my husband is away, I have made a rule for myself:  I will only spend time with my friends who know and love my husband and who respect our marriage.  While he’s away, I will not spend time [alone] with someone who hasn’t spent a lot of time with Dan.  It’s important to me that we maintain our identity as a couple – even when he’s traveling.

What do you do to stay connected to your friends?  Do they support your situation?  Does your travelling-significant-other stay connected to your community as well?