My brother’s couch, Mission Viejo, CA. It’s almost midnight, my brother’s family have all gone off to sleep and I’m watching the end of “Titanic” on TBS. I don’t even remember the last time I spent the night here. This year has been a blur. Today was my family’s second Thanksgiving gathering. Besides the “normal” T-Day fare, we had a little beer-fest with a pretty good collection of brews my brother purchased from the local BevMo store (Beverages & More). Good times.

Well, given that I’m doing the solo-guy thing sleeping on the couch tonight, maybe things weren’t all that I was hoping for…

Yeah, what can I say, I want to be cautious about declaring any status when it comes to my relationship, but after having read my blog entry about the “rules of being single” My former love agreed that while we have been in a “relationship” she’s much more comfortable with things being more on a “friendship” level than “boyfriend/girlfriend.” Ack. Okay, it’s worse than a simple “ack,” but it’s not like I didn’t see this one coming. The problem is, with the coming holidays, that it’s going to be difficult to not fall-back into behaviors that are more “boyfriend/girlfriend” like than “good friends.” I want to and have to respect her post-divorce desire to have no attachments, but that also means that I have to keep some distance because it’s so easy for me to ignore the “good friends” declaration when we spend time together. After having been available to her for such a long time, I know that it’s not going to be so easy for her to adjust either. Ack, for both of us.

As much as I’m not found of finding myself riding my brother’s couch, solo, for another holiday weekend, I am so thankful for the fellowship and friendship that I do have with my brother and his family. This is the weekend to recall things to be thankful for from the past year and I am most definitely blessed to have such great friends who also happen to be my brother and sisters. I am also blessed with great friends whom I am not related to. So, the year isn’t ending as I would have hoped, but I cannot say enough about how having friends in my life has made it “doable.” Maybe I’ll even open up a little bit and reach out to my co-workers more. Maybe. JBB