To begin with, you should all know that Miss Pam and I will celebrate our 46th in August. We were together for a year before that. We started out close as two peas in a pod and have gotten closer every year since. We like the same foods, the same movies, the same music, and our taste in most everything in life is the same.
As a result, we RARELY disagree about anything and when we do we just agree to disagree and let it go at that. And also we have both only had to "put our foot down" about anything one time. She had to many years ago about something I no longer remember except that she was right. I had to about 23 years ago to get "my" room.
We bought our house in '78. It is a 2K sq ft 4-2-2 in the middle of Deer Park. We had a son and a daughter and each got their own room and of course we had the master. That left a spare room.
Before we even signed the dotted line she laid claim to the extra room for her craft room.
Fine.
I was always working or off on some high adventure or other so I held my tongue.
The girl grew up and moved out and Miss Pam wasted no time in claiming that room as well.
Fine.
I'm still working and still off on my adventures. Really had very little need for or interest in a room for my doin's.
When the boy graduated from High School I started thinking. This could be my last chance.
I was pretty sure she was going to want it so I started trying to come up with an argument.
But she brought it up one time when I was not thinking about it and she caught me way off guard. I just put my hand up in front of her face. She was shocked and immediately stopped talking.
I asked her if she would agree that we were in this house because of me, because of what I did. She reluctantly nodded her head. I pointed out that I had one chair at the table, one chair in the living room, one side of the garage, and half a king size bed and that was all.
I let her chew on that for a moment and then I held her eyes as I said, quietly but firmly, "I'm taking the room". I don't think she was happy about it but she did see that it was only fair so she accepted it gracefully.
She even pitched in and cheerfully help me paint and set up my new FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE. She soon saw that I was now at a point where I wanted and need my room. Cleaning fishing reels and guns and even did a little writing on my own computer.
It has even evolved over the last 20-odd years. I had a cable weight system in there for a while and when I got rid of that I put a big metal desk in that subbed as a work bench.
During the bumper to bumper remodel 3 years ago I decided to get one of the larger rooms. I slipped that idea into a conversation one night at dinner and she didn't even blink.
I will admit that I'm not nearly as active in all my outdoors activities as I used to be. But even so I still enjoy having my room with the thing I care about where I can sit and work on a little something or other or just look at my pictures on the wall and familiar items that all have special meaning and importance to me and think about the great family, great friends and wonderful times I've had in my life.
I love this newest version of the fortress. I feel very comfortable in my world of treasured memories as well as current stuff. I believe that every man, at some point in his life needs a room for himself. Not a bedroom but a room where he can surround him self with the things that make him feel good.
It is my hope that every man that reads this and has not yet acquired such a room the very best of luck in the pursuit of just such a space. If you already have such a space then you know where of I speak. If not then I can't explain the joy it brings.
As you were......
As a result, we RARELY disagree about anything and when we do we just agree to disagree and let it go at that. And also we have both only had to "put our foot down" about anything one time. She had to many years ago about something I no longer remember except that she was right. I had to about 23 years ago to get "my" room.
We bought our house in '78. It is a 2K sq ft 4-2-2 in the middle of Deer Park. We had a son and a daughter and each got their own room and of course we had the master. That left a spare room.
Before we even signed the dotted line she laid claim to the extra room for her craft room.
Fine.
I was always working or off on some high adventure or other so I held my tongue.
The girl grew up and moved out and Miss Pam wasted no time in claiming that room as well.
Fine.
I'm still working and still off on my adventures. Really had very little need for or interest in a room for my doin's.
When the boy graduated from High School I started thinking. This could be my last chance.
I was pretty sure she was going to want it so I started trying to come up with an argument.But she brought it up one time when I was not thinking about it and she caught me way off guard. I just put my hand up in front of her face. She was shocked and immediately stopped talking.
I asked her if she would agree that we were in this house because of me, because of what I did. She reluctantly nodded her head. I pointed out that I had one chair at the table, one chair in the living room, one side of the garage, and half a king size bed and that was all.
I let her chew on that for a moment and then I held her eyes as I said, quietly but firmly, "I'm taking the room". I don't think she was happy about it but she did see that it was only fair so she accepted it gracefully.
She even pitched in and cheerfully help me paint and set up my new FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE. She soon saw that I was now at a point where I wanted and need my room. Cleaning fishing reels and guns and even did a little writing on my own computer.
It has even evolved over the last 20-odd years. I had a cable weight system in there for a while and when I got rid of that I put a big metal desk in that subbed as a work bench.
During the bumper to bumper remodel 3 years ago I decided to get one of the larger rooms. I slipped that idea into a conversation one night at dinner and she didn't even blink.
I will admit that I'm not nearly as active in all my outdoors activities as I used to be. But even so I still enjoy having my room with the thing I care about where I can sit and work on a little something or other or just look at my pictures on the wall and familiar items that all have special meaning and importance to me and think about the great family, great friends and wonderful times I've had in my life.
I love this newest version of the fortress. I feel very comfortable in my world of treasured memories as well as current stuff. I believe that every man, at some point in his life needs a room for himself. Not a bedroom but a room where he can surround him self with the things that make him feel good.
It is my hope that every man that reads this and has not yet acquired such a room the very best of luck in the pursuit of just such a space. If you already have such a space then you know where of I speak. If not then I can't explain the joy it brings.
As you were......
