Best for both of you that convenient COVID ‘romance’ ended

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/11/2020 (2109 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I’ve had the same boyfriend since last March, when it made sense to settle down with one guy for a while and wait out the COVID thing.

Now it’s been around eight months and it’s like waiting out a pregnancy. I am so sick of being crowded in with this same guy. I ordinarily would have ended things several months ago, but this isn’t a good time to look for someone new. But I just hate to be alone! He was company.

Lately, I’d been picking fights just for some excitement at home. He’d go for it. Then we’d have pretty good yelling fights and great makeup sex. But last night I had a few drinks and picked a huge fight. I slapped him hard across the face. He grabbed me and shook me and said, “Don’t go there. You’ll lose big time, baby!” He used to be a boxer when he was younger. I backed away and ran into the bathroom, and locked it. Then he slammed out and roared away. I went to my friend’s place and she made us some drinks.

When I got back at midnight — prepared to make up — I got a shock. He had come back while I was out, packed all the clothes he keeps at my place, and moved back to his high rise. I cruised by and saw his lights on.

Now I am all alone with the four walls, day and night. When I try to call him, he won’t pick up and his little witch secretary told me he was “too busy to take social calls.” That’s exactly the way he talks. Now I don’t know what to do. I realize he’s better than nothing, but I don’t think he’s coming back. Give me some advice.

— All Alone Here, Downtown

Dear Alone: Why should he come back? You struck him! That’s assault. He shook you — also violence. Had he really gotten into fight mode, he might have sent you flying across the room.

You don’t care about him and he knows it. You may have hurt him somewhat emotionally, but I sincerely doubt he has hurt you.

All you want right now is company, so make a list of everybody you know and call a couple of people each evening when you get home. Then, when the pandemic fades, consider getting some help from a psychologist so you can examine what has made you so act so tough — at least on the outside. With some help, you will be able to react in a warmer manner to the people in your life — particularly men — and loneliness will not continue to be a big problem for you.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: This is my advice for the couple who call themselves Bored Stiff. They say they have a cabin, and obviously love being outdoors, so I’d suggest trying out geocaching. Geocaching is a worldwide treasure hunt, looking for containers (caches) hidden using GPS co-ordinates. A handheld GPS unit or a smartphone is all you need.

In addition to being like a treasure hunt, it’s a fantastic way to explore your community and the world. Road trips are incredibly fun when you discover those neat places that aren’t on the tourist maps. From a roadside stop, you take a long hike in the woods and there are caches hidden for all types of people.

— Never Bored, Manitoba

Dear Never Bored: The interest in geocaching is skyrocketing during COVID-19. Why? Because people are sick of going for the same old walks in their neighbourhoods and want some focus and intrigue. The same goes for casual drivers, who have run out of new places to cruise around.

The premise of the geocache “game” is simple. People hide little prizes and post their longitude and latitude on the internet (see geocache.com), then others go out looking for them. There are thousands of geocache prizes in Manitoba, many right in the city.

You can “geocache” alone or with a friend. But some people just like to host a cache nearby, getting a kick out of watching all kinds of people on the hunt, and keeping the cache stocked.

Please send your questions and comments to lovecoach@hotmail.com or Miss Lonelyhearts c/o the Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6.

Miss Lonelyhearts
Advice Columnist

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