"Lord help the mister, who comes between me and my sister... "

Living together successfully incorporates an awful lot of skills. In order for two people to continue on as autonomous unique individuals they must have a deep and abiding respect for each other, an open and honest form of communication, and a tolerance for each others quirks. Anything less than that and one, or the other, is bound to be unhappy as time goes on.

Only one person can live in a body at once. When two people try to take up residence in one space, conflict rises up and begins to drive a wedge between them.

The old fairy tale relationships where the fair maiden is protected by the charging knight is just that, a fairy tale. Fair maidens who never learn to protect themselves eventually fade into the sunset along with rainbows, lollipops and roses, beautiful ideas for stories, but pretty insubstantial material when it comes to enduring. The same thing is true for charging knights. A knight who spends too many years charging every perceived danger may become blinded to the simple things in life.

There is great joy in walking side by side with those I love. We may take turns carrying the load. We may even carry it together, but if one tries to carry it all the time, the other becomes lost in the shadow behind him, or her. Lost souls are pitiful and pitiful is painful to live with.

True strength is one of the most attractive attributes I know of. It is sympathetic and empathetic without being controlling. It takes up its own space, leaving plenty of room for everyone else, so there continues to be room for change and growth. Fear, jealousy and all those other dark feelings belong in other moments, so that this moment is always a good one with the potential for another to soon follow.

As my sister and I begin our journey as housemates once more in this life, we leave many other relationships behind us. Each one a learning experience that brought us closer to where we are today. We still have much to learn about this business of two adult women cohabiting, but I believe we are truly on the right path.