Originally Posted by FlaGator
Your comment about cooking her recipes brought to mind something I just recently acknowledged - I'm no longer interested in many of the things we pursued passionately.
That's an interesting observation. Do you think it is because the things you both pursued passionately were really DW's interests? Or is it because those activities bring back too many emotionally charged memories of DW?
Good question, made me think about it in more detail.
There are 3 things that come to mind we once did that have limited interest for me now, all were shared passions - keeping up with the major auto racing series, photography, going to Disney World with the kids. Each in turn.
-Auto racing - fortunate to have seen the major US series together before the kids were born - multiple NASCAR races, 2 Indy 500's, 2 Brickyard 400s, F1. We both loved the sound, the pageantry of major events, the technical and human story behind success and failure. Kept up with all 3 via TV after the kids were born in the early 2000's
-Photography - Late 80's-90's (pre-kids). Lot of landscape, wildlife and racing slides to be sorted. Pre-digital.
-Disney World - was only 3 hours from our home in S. FL, many, many days when the kids were young, and a lot of great memories.
Think my stepping back from those is less that they are emotionally charged memories, and more that I have found those experiences much less interesting without her. Might be the same thing.
Spending my free time differently with the GF and enjoying it without a thought of doing any of those things. Hope it's part of building a new life, and not just avoiding the past. Time will tell.
Helpful to me that you asked, thank you.