I have been gone now for 6 weeks. Hubby still doesn't get that I don't plan on coming back home . . . other than to get the rest of my things. He keeps sabotaging my attempts to move my things (probably because that is too final?), but for now I have what I need. And honestly, if I get everything now, I'll have to find a place to store it.
A couple of interesting things, though:
My allergies (which are usually so horrible, I have to get shots for them every week) have calmed right down. I am going for shots every 2 weeks, and am doing better than I've done in years. And that's on a farm, which has all kinds of things I'm allergic to. When I looked up "stress and allergies," there apparently is a correlation. I am living proof. I had no idea.
I am also sleeping better than I have in years (unless of course, it's one of those nights when I wake up, and start worrying about how he is doing!)
And finally, the dog . . . I got her a week after I left, telling him I was worried she would not get any exercise without me there. Miraculously, he let me take her. Exercise was only part of my concern, as I knew he would sleep all day and not let her out . . . and I wasn't coming home anymore after work to rescue her. Anyway, she lost 13 pounds in 3 weeks! I got scared and thought she was dying, although she seemed to be doing fine every other way. When I took her to the vet, she had gone from 90 pounds down to 77. They looked at me, pointed to her, and said, "That's what she's supposed to look like!" For 10 years, they have been telling hubby that her joints were getting stressed out from the extra weight, and he would argue with them that he "didn't feed her that much people food." Actually, I knew better, as she got some of whatever he was having, whenever he ate it. They also noticed she was no longer moving like she was lame and stiff. Woo hoo, I did the right thing by taking her! She has a large farm on which to run all over the place, no more junk food, and she is doing great. She's also great company for me. Isn't it sad that he was even affecting the dog's well-being? Oh well, one day at a time . . .
Lilly