Right now I have two roommates. One of them has Aspergers, so living with Joey is quite a change for me. Normally I would deal with conflict or someone being a butt by rushing in headlong and swinging. The only problem is that Joey can't handle conflict at all. I'm having to learn how to be up front while being tactful. I have to say I am a long ways away from learning this skill.
Roy, my other roommate is paid to teach Joey how to live on his own. With Joey in the apartment, it's teaching both of us how to be patient. It's also teaching me when my passive-aggressive is crossing a line and becoming vengeful. It makes me realize when and where it isn't okay to be passive-aggressive.
God is teaching Roy and I some pretty cool things through our friendship as well. I found this list and it was kind of scary to see that only one of the things really doesn't apply to us. That item would be the one about joint bank accounts, but we're learning that marriage/relationships is more about the other person than yourself. We're also both learning that relationships aren't wrapped up with sex. My therapist made a point about dating/marriage by saying, "you're basically with your best friend, sex is just a bonus." Which is super true. It's sad to see people get so wrapped up in the sexual side of relationships that they neglect what makes relationships work.
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