Adventures With OG

As we begin, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce my partner on my journey into The Second Half. Henceforth, for purposes of this blog, my husband shall be known as OG (short for Old Goat – his appellation, not mine).

OG and I have been married nearly thirty years and have been true partners in every sense of the word. Our road has had its bumps and bends as most do, but we’ve stuck it out together and are genuinely looking forward to spending more time in each other’s company. We are the parents of a wonderful twenty-six year-old daughter who is the light of our lives but is now ready to spread her wings and start living her life—leaving us free to devote more time to building our own.

One unusual characteristic of our marriage is the fact that OG and I have never been employed full time simultaneously since our daughter was born (which begs the corollary--we've never been at home at the same time either). I took the first eight years of her life off to stay home, and then we switched places.

OG has shown unflagging support during the recent disintegration of my career, being no stranger to untenable work situations himself. In order to remain employed while I stayed home, he was forced to change jobs several times as employer after employer shut down, was sold, or left town. Ultimately, we moved to the Twin Cities when there was no work left to be had in Kansas City. When yet another job crumbled on him, we decided it was my turn to take my chances on the employment merry-go-round. I struck it lucky, and OG moved into the then-uncommon role of stay-at-home dad.

Our neighborhood is currently teeming with fathers who gather at the school bus stops in the morning dressed in jeans, clutching coffee mugs and chatting with each other after their children depart. However, eighteen years ago it was cutting edge. These men may work at home today, but OG’s job could only be done in an office. So for years he gamely drove missed lunches up to school and responded to calls from the nurse’s office, shopped for groceries and did the laundry.

I tell you this so you’ll understand this is his time, too. We’re both looking for a new challenge, something to make us want to get up in the morning now that we no longer have to set the alarm. We plan to pursue our separate interests, but we’re on this quest together. It makes it so much easier and so much more fun. We'll just have to be careful not to drive each other crazy in the process.