12 Comments

Oh I LOVE this and I'm so pleased the move has gone well!! I had the same thing when Aid and I moved in together: "Ooh you'll be making his lunches for him!" (He actually makes them) or some other bizarre comment to suggest Aid is an infant and not, in fact, a fully-grown, independent man.

I think some people are jealous of your happiness and excitement, and I think others are so risk- and joy-averse that they *have* to get out some negative comment to make themselves feel better. It's an odd British thing, but there we go.

Expand full comment

Exactly this!! So strange that it's expected we'll adopt some maternal role for a grown adult man.

Joy-averse is such a great description for this. I've noticed it more and more, and sometimes it really gets me down. Even when I'm having a perfectly fine day, I'll feel the pressure to find something terrible?!

Expand full comment

Yes exactly this! I wonder if the post-pandemic world has created some sort of curious dread - like we’re just waiting for something to go wrong so we don’t need to think about anything going wrong… if that makes any sense?

Expand full comment

Oh gosh, that would totally track. Sort of like, 'life is already terrible, how much worse can it get?', which is such a depressing way to live!

Expand full comment

I love this positivity! I also agree I was pleasantly surprised when my partner and I first moved in together. He does a lot for me and is so supportive. I'm so happy for you!!

Expand full comment

Thanks Rachel!

Honestly, I had an inkling fear in me at one point because of everybody's horror stories. But so far, so good, and we're building some pretty good routines and habits together.

Expand full comment

Congratulations on moving in with your boyfriend! I love your gratitude segments, and I agree that it's terrible we live in a world where people don't believe you when you say your life is going well. It's all about perspective! We definitely all go through tough times or unpleasant moments throughout the day, but it's up to us to decide what we want to fixate on.

Expand full comment

Thanks Aliena!! It's been such a wonderful move and new chapter so far.

Yes, it's all about perspective! I think I'm just less likely to offload my bad days to just anybody. (And yet I'll ruminate the deep stuff here for a good 1,000 words...!)

Expand full comment

I need to adopt that positive mindset from you 😭

Expand full comment

Reframing negatives is such a mood-booster. Of course it isn't possible to always be joyful and find the positives, but it helps a hell of a lot when life is, well, *gestures wildly*

Expand full comment

I really love to see your perspective on our complaints. It was nice reading you. Thanks for sharing, Michelle. Looking forward to next Sunday's post.

Expand full comment

Thanks so much for reading, Nelly!!

Expand full comment