Down Cycle
What’s going on here? Within the past 6 weeks or so, I’ve had at least 6 phone calls that start with, ” [Insert significant other's name here] and I broke up last night,” or “I’m struggling” or “We’re struggling.” How does this happen?
I get everybody struggles but what stumping me is the timing. How does all of this happen at about the same time…and during months that seem like they would be more carefree somehow than the ones in which we’re mired in barely tolerable external conditions? Or is this a sign of my times? Maybe this is what the relationship cycle looks like after all of the excitement and festivities are over and people settle in to what will be their everyday routines…for a long time.
I’m not sure whether to guess this is coincidental or a factor of my age or the time of the year but all of these separate instances seem oddly similar. Maybe it’s just a sign of the greater times: tough economy, long work hours, and leisure time and ability slipping away. It makes us long for fantasy in a real way. A lot of people sure seemed to have it and now it’s unraveling.
For a July full of seriously amazing, comfortable weather, I guess the relationship front caught all the storms.