Rose Rouse is the editor of the social enterprise Advantages of Age and Now magazine on Substack, which we founded together back in 2016 to challenge the media narrative around ageing. She also happens to be one of my good friends.

We share many of the same views on ageing, believing that getting older doesn’t mean being "past it." We both enjoy wearing flowers in our hair from time to time, shopping sustainably, exploring out-of-the-way places, and generally being curious about life.

However, when it comes to relationships, we’re quite literally miles apart. I prefer the men I’m involved with to be within a 30-minute to one-hour proximity, while Rose has been in a decade-long relationship with a man who lives about six hours away. I’m not very monogamous, whereas she is deeply monogamous.

I thought it would be fun to explore what it’s like to have a "living together apart" (LTA) relationship and how Rose has managed to make it work for so long—especially when health issues arise, for example. We ended up diving deep into the topic, so much so that by the end she said to me, “And we didn’t even get to the sex part!”

That’s true—we didn’t. So, I suspect we’ll have to revisit that in another episode. (I try to stick to 30 minutes to keep things engaging and prevent boredom from setting in.)

You can follow and subscribe to Rose’s own Substack, thespirited70something.

00:00 Introduction to Unique Relationships

01:12 The Beginning of Rose and Asanga's Journey

06:19 Maintaining Emotional Connection

11:22 Balancing Independence and Commitment

15:06 Celebrating a Decade Together

19:38 Navigating Aging and Future Challenges

24:04 Family Dynamics and Relationship Growth

25:11 Mature Love and Personal Growth

27:24 The Decision to Share a Bed

30:54 Conclusion and Future Possibilities

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