I got to thinking about the kinds of things that would concern me if my sweetie pie and I were to suddenly find ourselves in a situation where we were together 24/7 ...like retired people are.

I know that since we downsized a few years ago we'd have issues about use of space. Our home is an open concept one and sound travels easily. Greg uses our loft as his home office and has his own TV. However, we do bump up against one another when we're watching separate TV shows and the soundtracks start to clash. I suppose that earphones would be a solution, but it sure feels like it would introduce an artificiality to home life. I wonder how we'd feel about the amount of space we can create for ourselves if we lived together in this tiny place without any other place to go on a regular basis.

Another concern I'd have is negotiating the amount of together time. We both have a number of interests and hobbies but I know that my need for independent time is far greater than Greg's. I don't know how we'd deal with that over the long haul. Definitely a conversation we need to explore.

And then there's the lunch question. Greg's a pretty independent guy and does lots of housework (I'm not certain I'd know how to work the washer/dryer anymore, for example). But cooking is my job and I notice that it doesn't matter if we're both working from home or not but he always looks to me to get lunch for us. And it really irritates me. Somehow, I'm okay with getting dinner, but lunch seems to have this 'taking care of the kid' quality to it. It feels like that would be a big negotiating/adjustment point for me.

And then there is the whole conversation about finding meaning in life. I know that our hobbies help provide that, but I'm not certain what else I'd discover that provides as much as my work does. This definitely is something I/we need to spend time proactively working on. Because even though I have no intention of 'retiring' in a traditional sense, I know that life can offer up magical surprises such as accidents, health issues, etc. I'd like to have thought some of this through in case its required!