It's National Singles Week!

Can't believe I almost missed it, but Sept 20-26 is National Singles Week! In the linked post, Bella writes about reasons why this is necessary, in case you're wondering.

I missed it last year, but wrote 2 posts the prior year:

Tips for the Single Parent

National Singles Week 2013

In 2012, I posted every day of the week!

There are others from 2011 and earlier, so honestly, at this point, it's hard to come up with something new to say on this subject! But I'll try :)

Last weekend, Riley and I were rather productive taking care of the household. We installed a new spice rack (it's very cool, it lowers so you can see all your spices at once), and we switched the doors on the fridge/freezer to open the other way. This is something I've wanted to do since we moved (almost a year ago), so I can't claim we're quick with this...then again, I've heard plenty of wives complain about husbands taking their sweet time, so maybe being single has little to do with it!

When it comes to this kind of stuff, I really wish I were more willing and able. If you know me or have been reading for a while, you know how much I value my independence! But I don't mind leaning on Riley when it comes to this stuff.

I'd asked for her help with the spice rack, but it was at her suggestion that we tackled the fridge, too. That's the kind of job that once you've started, you can't really quit, and she was the one who kept it going. She did most of the work, too, quite honestly. She definitely earned her allowance this month because without her, there's no way I would've gotten these things done.

There are more times than I'd like to admit where I've had to rely on others to get things done, and I've gotten much better at asking for or accepting help when offered.

But here's the thing: every time I've been in a relationship, I've never been able to count on my partner to be there for me in times like that. They've either not been willing or available to help when I needed it. This was quite a culture shock after growing up with my dad, who was always (and continues to be) there when I needed him!

While it might be challenging to get everything done by oneself, it's less so than expecting help from someone who either can't or won't help.

I wondered aloud during our project what I would do without Riley, and she assured me that she will continue to be available to help me out with things like this even when she moves out! Worse comes to worse, I can always try TaskRabbit.