Matt has a tell when he is stressed. He is currently pulling at his eye brow. After being together for almost 10 years, I know my husband pretty well. He is stressed.
Usually there is a very obvious reason for the stress. We’ve been through some difficult times over the years… we’ve started a business (and closed the business), we’ve moved and changed jobs several times over the years, we had two kids 13 months apart (not planned), we’ve been in financial turmoil where we jokingly (but not really confident it was a joke) said we’d be moving under the nearest bridge soon, we’ve pulled our child out of a school after the last straw with the teacher/principal (and with no plan in place on where to enroll him), we’ve been through court battles, we’ve dealt with our kids’ medical issues (yes, they each have different specialists for different reasons), we’ve educated ourselves on how to live on a budget (don’t believe that is stressful? try it.), and we’ve made a five-year plan to pay off debt, save money, buy a boat, and take off on an around-the-world trip with our family.
So, what is causing the stress right now for Matt? Nothing specific. Just a general feeling that we are living in a giant wheel going round and round and getting nowhere fast. Yes, our debt is dwindling. Yes, we know we are on the right path. But 5 years is a long time. And my husband likes instant gratification.
I know we said we were waiting until April 2013 to put our house on the market, but I can’t help but wonder if we had listed our house this summer, we would feel more like we were MOVING toward something instead of sitting still. Not that we wouldn’t still be stressed trying to sell our house – but we’d be stressed about keeping a house clean with kids at home all day. Which, as I look over at Matt who is still pulling on his eyebrow, I can see Legos, stuffed animals, Pokemon cards, DS games and books in my line of sight. Oy.