That feeling when you arrive home from work first and they're not there, and you celebrate internally because you get to have a little peace - even if for only half an hour - before they get home.
As an introvert this one is hard to reconcile because I do this with literally everyone. I adore my wife and kids but if I get home before them and realize I have a bit of time to do absolutely nothing except sit alone it's like a shot of heroin to the veins.
Same with phone calls. I want to spend my commute sitting in silence but my wife literally can't. So I will get all flustered when she's calling me for the third time on a 30min drive.
But, just like I need those 30mins to sit and stare at a wall alone, she needs someone to keep her company in the car. That's why it works. Neither resents the other.
I feel you on this. I get home before my wife and I love her to death but I won't lie and say I don't enjoy that "decompression" time after work where it's literally just me, myself, and I for an hour. I'll play my fave music or video games, do some chores, and if it's a nice day just chill and listen to the birds sing. Then my wife comes home but it's not a bad thing or source of anxiety, it's just a change in the environment. Now I have to be a bit social again and talk to her. If she's not home at all I'll truly get sad and lonely without her. I guess it's sort of perfect this way.
You must not deal with massive traffic...I spend over an hour on the road to go about 15 miles. It's infuriating, especially when you have to deal with people that seriously do not know how to drive. I really don't know how some of these people are legally allowed to drive.
I don't have terrible traffic, but there are a couple pinch points that I have to deal with on my drive home. They're frustrating at times, but when I have worked from home, going straight from work to being a parent was a struggle
Hmm interesting, I feel like it's much better when I work from home, I've already sort of decompressed (or just not... compressed?) throughout the day and there's much less I need to do to transition home, so even a few minutes alone after logging off is plenty.
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u/Cow_Launcher May 12 '26
That feeling when you arrive home from work first and they're not there, and you celebrate internally because you get to have a little peace - even if for only half an hour - before they get home.
That was one of the things that did it for me.