A New Stage: The Fifty/Fifty

Cohabitation with your significant other is a bit odd, at least for me. And by odd I mean it’s the greatest thing ever and everything feels like a date. Walking to Target to get swiffer pads is strangely romantic. Learning to say ‘ours’ instead of ‘mine’ is another story.

I’ll be the first to admit that we moved in together much sooner than I ever expected. We fell in love quickly, and as the days of last year passed, things just seemed to get easier and easier. There wasn’t any question or doubt, he is the person I want to start and end each day with. His questionable Vietnamese print is another story.

I might need to repeat a year of preschool because I’m a little rusty at this sharing thing. Please note that I have lived with roommates my whole life and resided in a sorority house with upwards of 80 girls for four years. I never had a problem with compromise before. The difference is things are no longer mine, they are ours. Take unpacking the kitchen for example. I placed my crystal glasses conveniently within reach. The realist in Dave moved them to the top shelf – the need a stool top shelf – while his assortment of beer glasses are within easy reach. “They get used more often.” Fine. My gigantic 8-drawer dresser is now half his. I can no longer sleep diagonally across my bed. I now have two, not four, pillows to choose from when I want a “cold side”. There are tools and craft supplies cohabiting the hall closet. Then there is that questionable Vietnamese print I was talking about.

So what is Dave thinking as I chuckle to myself about the placement of my crystal? Is there really a zebra print chair in my living room? She literally asked me to scrape all the wax off my surf board so it looks better displayed in the living room. Is she really wearing my only pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt, yet again? She always places her grey and white striped pillows in front of my yellow ones on the couch… like she is trying to hide them… Then there is that questionable white dog statue.

So if you can’t tell, I’m joking people. This is trivial and a non-issue in our home, but it is still very interesting to ponder. We are now a “we”. Sure, we always have our individual lives and goals that will be important to us, but we are now a “we” because we have made this choice to build a life together, in this home.

This long-form thought came to me on our walk to try a newish coffee shop in the Inner Richmond last Sunday. We woke up in our shared bed to a stunning, sunny morning in San Francisco. While we have had more of these than less as of late, it was to be enjoyed immediately. I watched Dave pull a shirt from his side of the dresser rather than a backpack like three weeks ago. He didn’t have to reuse the pants he wore the day before, there was more than one pair of shoes to wear and two sets of keys to grab on our way out the door.

This meal was almost a celebration of a new stage in our lives. I will call it the 50/50. Just as we cut our Fifty/Fifty donuts in half to share, we will share this cozy apartment that already feels like home. It’s home because everything is ours.

The perfect Sunday morning for a stroll through the neighborhood.

Hipster menu with a side of hipster top knot.

Fifty/Fifty serves Ritual Coffee and Dynamo Donuts. We opted for the spiced chocolate and caramel apple. In my mind you can’t really choose wrong on the donut front.

Fifty / Fifty Coffee and Tea, 3157 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA, (415) 684-8886, fiftyfiftysf.com, Mon-Fri 7:00am – 6:00pm, Sat-Sun 8:00am – 6:00pm