Member-only story
Married, But Choosing to Sleep Apart
The 5 surprising discoveries we made
When my husband decided to move his office to the basement, it freed up space for us to have a guest room in our home. We repainted the walls and got some hand me down furniture to decorate it with. Two different sets of family members visited and stayed in the room over the holidays. They both told us the queen-sized bed was very comfortable.
We joked that the simple furnishings and sparse décor suggested it was not unlike a hotel room. Relaxing. Clutter-free. The room felt like an escape, but without going anywhere. My daughters said they were curious about taking a turn sleeping in there.
Then one morning I decided to ask my husband what I’d really been thinking about the room.
“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but do you want to sleep in the guest room this month?”
I wasn’t sure how he’d react. We’d recently learned of impending divorces of couples we knew. It made it seem like even happy marriages were more fragile than we thought. I didn’t want to damage ours.
He laughed out loud before replying, “I was thinking the same thing!”
I was both relieved and perhaps a tiny bit hurt by his response.
