Dear Christina
It’s about 8:30 on Saturday morning here in Philly. Just sitting here, planning out my day. My cousin is getting married next weekend. And so, I’ll be going to one of the malls later to find he and his bride a gift. Already have it narrowed down to two ideas. It will either be a pewter picture frame that has the text from their wedding invitation engraved on the front, or a fancy pendulum clock. Will probably end up going with the clock. We’ll see.
Yes, I feel that the time one spends socializing with friends and lovers must be balanced. Like you, I would need space also, for those outside-the-relationship activities. Software engineering requires lots of study time beyond the normal work day hours, just to keep up with the ever changing technology. Therefore, I usually spend two additional hours each day, just reading and playing on the computer. Plus, I enjoy dining with friends a couple times a week, browsing in the book shops and libraries, and spending some time alone, thinking and introspecting. Ideally, I’d like to spend two to three evenings with my special romantic friend, spend one or two nights with her each week, and talk for at least a few minutes every day on the phone. I am flexible on this however. Some weeks, more time would be spent together, while in others less would be. But yes, folks should avoid totally giving up their ‘single’ activities as you call them, even when they’re not single anymore.
More later,
Tom Hesley