Three Things: Missing Sheldon

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I have been having a sweet stay with my grandparents here in Texas. But my main regret is that Sheldon could not come. He was intending to accompany me, but couldn't on account of work. He and I have experienced long-distance often. There were 5 months of him being in Italy for a semester abroad. There were two months last summer when I was in England studying. If I totalled up every christmas break and study-abroad we have spent about 11 months apart in the 2.5 years we have been dating. You may even remember this time I talked about this with my grandmother. But as much as we have learned to be patient and cope with these times, there are always things that would be better if done together. Here are Three Things That Would Be Better If Sheldon Were Here. 

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1. Preparing Meals
My grandparents come from a generation of people who sat down to every meal together. That means that three times a day I help them to prepare food. Of course, it is not very difficult. We have been hacking our way through a large Mexican lasagna this whole week and need only heat up hunks of it. But I wish Sheldon were here, because of his delight in food preparation. He loves to follow recipes. I attribute this quality to his deep love of rule-following and his outstanding law-abiding ways. Sheldon thrives on obeying instructions to the letter. This is so different than the men (and possibly women) in my family who thrive on reinterpreting instructions. But such is Sheldon's way. Possibly it is one of those "opposites attract" things people are always talking about when they want to explain away weird couple combinations. Not only does Sheldon love recipes, but he also loves making food beautiful and feeding people. That would make this visit so much better, because he would never tire of setting places around the octagonal table, arranging plates of leftover lasagna for the fourth time and creating lovely dishes for us all to enjoy.

2. Getting Along With Senior Citizens
This is another of Sheldon's magical powers: he can make friends with anyone over the age of 60 in an instant. His slow-paced conversation, genuine kindness and technology-spurning ways make him an instant hit with older folk. He is also a great listener and genuinely loves to hear people talk to him about pretty much anything. He has remarkable stamina in this department. Want to talk about an obscure area of history that you know too much about? Sheldon would love to listen. Do you have an abundance of bizarre anecdotes from the time you went on a cruise around the British Isles? Sheldon begs you to describe each one in detail. This characteristic is brilliant when it comes to meeting people who often enjoy reliving their past experiences. Believe me, I have availed myself of Sheldon's listening gifts many-a-time. They would be so good here with my grandparents. I am not saying that they are continually spouting out random things and making everyone listen. I am saying that Sheldon would have been a wonderful addition during the three hours of sitting in my grandfather's tiny hospital room with my grandmother and two of their close friends waiting for him to be released. Sheldon would have helped think of things to talk about and a way to make the time pass more unnoticeably.

3. Going for Walks
Texas is beautiful right now. The weather is rainy and sunny in turns. The temperature is cool but no coat is needed. It is a good time to be here and I wish Sheldon was so we could walk around together. We love to walk, but recently haven't been doing as much. One reason is the bitter cold Chicago winter, which makes the prospect of long romantic walks rather bleak. Another reason is that Sheldon bought a new truck, which eliminates the need for some of the walking we used to do. If we went walking out here I am sure we would ramble around the hill country and through quiet, historic neighbourhoods. We would visit a tree I found near the creek which is laden with luxurious strands of lacy Spanish moss. We would talk about anything that came into our heads or have what we like to call "Quiet Time" in which we don't say anything for a while.

I miss you, Sheldon.

Love,
Lucy Rose