Some of you know that the soldier sold his truck last weekend and this happened abruptly as in I put the ad on craigslist and an hour and fifteen minutes later the truck was gone.  This made us a 1 car family.

The next day brought something unexpected.  I was to drive the soldier to work... I would be picking him up 2 weeks later whenever he got home. Not the most convenient thing inf the world as he often gets home at midnight or 2 in the morning but deal-able, right?  It's not the end of the world and there as nothing we could do near term anyway. The truck was sold and he had to go to work.

But instead of a usual week, the soldier has been nearby all week. He has basically been farmed out to Walmart due their Black Friday blitz which means he's driving around in just 3 states... making it home or nearly home each night.

 This means I go pick him up, drive him home (usually about 11 PM), cook him dinner and drive him back to his truck by 7 AM before driving home. Have to shuffle Vid to and from school too so basically I am just going to and fro.

Does not sound like much but it sure is. I mean, I work at home so usually the soldier would get in his truck, go to work and that is it. But this is me driving him, driving back, not knowing when or if I am picking him up... or where.  It takes about an hour on average to take him or pick him up and this is something to do, see? I notice it. I have to constantly go somewhere which stops me from working at my own job and boy has this been eye-opening.

The main thing is this: it is super inefficient to be 2 people going in different directions with one car. It reduces productivity dramatically. I mean, it's just shocking. I lose time, I lose sleep...

Because when he had his truck and was coming in at 2 AM or something, he'd just come in and I would be in bed or whatever but  now I have to stay awake.

MY point here is this hardship thing? Don't romanticize it.  It is not romantic!  Less of some things do not mean more, this is a point driven home very dramatically this week.

On the upside, this situation is an anomaly and  it has been really nice having him around but perhaps you get my drift.

I always tend to have experiences before other people have experiences and I am telling you, do everything you can to protect your life because when it's gone or degrades... well there you are.

There has been a really "closing in" feeling this week over this. It's like there is nothing else we can do. I mean, he could call a cab but how is that better?  We're in this together but I sure have a sense things are going to close in more and I am feeling the need to adjust my expectations.

Do we buy another vehicle when he (normally) drives the thing less than 10 miles a month?  Pay insurance on it while it sits in a lot and degrades. Seems a luxury so this is what it is or what we're left with. ::eyes wide::

I understand wanting to cut seemingly unnecessary costs. I was trying to talk myself out of having as many tv channels as I do in an effort to cut monthly expenses.

The most amazing thing is how much money it takes to feed me for one week. I don't know how families do it.

We didn't really want to do this. His truck was in the shop for repairs but when he found out how much it would cost to repair, it wasn't worth it to fix.

The stuff wrong with the truck was not that much if you could do it yourself which he could if he had the time which he does not so he decided to give someone who did have time a good dead.

The deal was very good because the ad hit craigslist and the phone was ringing before he got to the end of the hall.  We had about 10 calls in 5 minutes, took the ad down after 5 min, called DMV and got the requirements to transfer title, then drove to the shop where the truck was to meet the buyers. This took about an hour all together so it was FAST.

I would have preferred he just drive the truck into the ground (he drives so little it probably could have gone a year) but it is against his nature to abuse a machine so...so these 2 men got a screaming deal and Elsa P has been driving to and fro ever since. 

It would make me really happy to know that someone was going to be picking me up after I had been gone from home for a few weeks. I would feel wanted somehow. But that's me!

That sounds very taxing Elsa. Wish I could somehow lighten your load!

Thanks, elfxys.

Tam, I don't know that he doesn't already feel that way. What this has done is crush us down, condense us somehow. It's a very strange feeling. I have a small car and just his stuff that he needs for the road packed into it - well it's just noticeable is all.

 Anyway, I read Bananas post about the man yawning and thought in my case I am yawning because I only get 3-4 hours a sleep in row.  I am faring very well considering but it's also eye-opening around what his day is like.

I already know to an extent - we talk 10-20 times a day but when we get up at 5 AM and get in bed at midnight for 5 hours sleep after having virtually no break all day, I am seeing this up close.  It's nice for him because of the company but very hard for me because I have my regular job(s) to do PLUS this and I guess the point I am trying to make is I am pretty sure others will be having similar experiences before long.

I should also say that Saturn Pluto is hittng my family HARD. First the soldier, and then my son, his son and me. I mean, I have the later degrees.

His son have 5 planets in Libra and has Cap too so...

My son is going to be hardest hit.

I don't think I am going to die but would think it will be something as bad.

I realize some may be shocked at how negative that is but please keep in mind that we (all 4 of us) are people that bad things happen to so...

Not that I have any doubt re: our survival. I think will we will survive and if not, die heroes. 

I have come to realize there are much worse things.

It's 6:20. In about 90 minutes I will know if I am picking up the soldier tonight (and taking him back in the early morning). If I am picking it up, it will be another 90 minutes before I go pick him up, this is very strange way to live.

That is not actually a complaint. I think I (we) are in these circumstances for a reason and I am sure the reason is a good one.

There seem to be "multiple" reasons sometimes for our circumstances. ;)

Boy can I relate to the car crunch.  Natal 10th house Virgo Mars squared 7th house Gemini Mercury.  Getting myself and my partner to and from work crops up as a challenge on a far too regular basis.  I couldn't tell you the ways this has played out for me over my life but I can tell you that you have my sympathy and understanding.  I think there are very few places in this country you can get away without having a car per person.  

My husband spent the first 40 years of his life without learning to drive.  Got his first license at 40 after he moved to Atlanta and discovered we just don't have adequate public transport like they did back in Ireland. 

The entire time that Saturn was in my first house I didn't have a car.  Seriously, the moment it crossed my ascendant, my car died (restricting my personal mobility radius) ... It wasn't that big of a deal because I live in a small college town and work close to home.  I biked everywhere and got in pretty good shape.  ... Then magically Saturn rolled into my second house and someone just up and gives me a car.  "Oh hey, I see your no-car period is up, here ya go, you're welcome." 

That sounds hard...

What if you get him a beater car for $500?
 

Bananas, we may do that... we've not had a chance to do anything. We can't really judge the impact of this because it has been an unusual week.

His day is 14 hours long (at least) and then we have travel time and his prep time before he takes off. His truck was sold abruptly and... that's it.  So what makes sense is we deal with this week (it has been really tough) and then he will go back to normal and it will probably put us out but only slightly.

I guess what I am saying is we don;'t have time to find a beater car, at least not yet. If this proves to continue to be horrendous, that's what we'll do but right now it's more like the universe is showing what it can do.  I mean, that is how I see this.

my sympathies, Elsa.  I know what it's like to be up at some early or late hour to get a partner. Mine is often from the train station (which goes to the airport and saves us a whole 40 min. one way) but it's still a 15 min. drive at 5am or some such.  I'm always "off" the day or so after that.

Thankfully he doesn't have too many trips like that and we get a couple of months off every year.  But.. still I hope you get some rest.

Thanks! I did pick him up last night, fairly late, but we had a really good night and Vid is in this too.

he was home from his dads so got up out of bed to greet the soldier and we all rode together this morning, drop Vid at the bus and take the soldier to his truck.

Thing is, the soldier forgot his card to open the gate at his job so I am going to have to go meet him somewhere at some point to bring him his card. Same situation today as yesterday. He may be coming home, maybe not but either way I will have to drive to him and get this card to him.

We are trying to finish watching Orphan. We have watched it for 2 nights but can't stay up to finish it. This next night (whenever it happens) should do the trick.

This is a hell of an edge and I am trying to extract the gold from it because I know it is. I mean, God just doesn't pull shit like this for no reason.  Do you know I have never had an experience wasted in my life.

I know this has little to no bearing on the situation, especially since it's getting rather chill now, but whatever happened to your moped-scooter thing, E?

SaDiablo, I have it but it's cold here right now to put it into use.  I have thought about it though, and the soldier has also mentioned getting a motorcycle.  We'll figure this out.

I have no doubt you two'll figure this out.  If he does end up getting a bike, that would be funny -- y'all could zoom around and taunt Harley-warriors about how much better your bikes are again.

This continues to be eye-opening.  It makes no sense for the soldier to get a car or a truck when he is not here to drive it, plus we have no time for that kind of thing.  He is still waiting to have a chance to hang up the big huge black board but it leaves me driving to and fro in a way that seems non-stop.

Yesterday I dropped him off and he realized he forgot something so I had to go back home, get it and deliver it. This happens 3 times out of 4. In other words, when he did have the truck he would leave, realize he'd forgotten something and I would bring it to him so now it's just double everything.

 He has Saturn in aspect to Mercury natally and his Saturn aspects my Mercury so when I team up with this... well you see the result.

We also have the aspect in the composite of course and you get the idea. This limited Mercury situation is just part of the plan or the deal.

I wrote about this pretty extensively I think. Before I ever committed to the soldier - he wanted a hard core commitment or nothing, I spoke with satori in depth about taking on his hardship to an extent. You just can't be around someone with a chart like his and avoid this... thing is I have a burdened chart of my own.

My point here, is LIMITS.  We deal with them and they are harsh.  I mean it is like a gauntlet that falls on you and then there you are.

Suffering today - it seems I will have to make FOUR trips back and forth between home and the soldier's job - all while I try to do my job.

I hope people take this as a cautionary tale - this is how it is intended.

 This is a super inefficient / non productive way to be - nothing romantic about it at all.

Maybe Merc into AQ will be more freeing for you ((Elsa)).

Motorcycle?

No, we will get another truck, eventually when time etc. permits. It is cold here for year round motorcycle, plus useless going from home to truck and back because you have to haul 3 weeks of food / clothes / books or whatever.

Anyway, it was 3 times back and forth and 1 time tomorrow morning but still several hours right when I am swamped beyond belief. ::shakes head::

Anyway, it's okay. I am happy as hell, I don't know what more a person wants. It's the clients and the people who read here who I worry about. I just can't be here and there at the same time.

I have spent the last 6-7 super aware I am one person and the limitations of that.