My partner and I are both in academia. We work in the same field though each of us has our own research interests and we are based in different countries. He reached out to me some years ago to share some reflections and ask a question about my first paper. We decided to write together. We were colleagues for a while, then we became friends. Both of us were in long-term relationships. Over time, we fell in love and spoke to our then-partners about it. We decided to fully step out of our previous relationships and be together. Both of us retained good relationships with our previous partners. Naturally, stepping on this path of being together was a challenging process, there were ups and downs, but for both of us our relationship is beautiful and sacred.
My partner came to Finland for the weekend to see me and we spent these days contemplating the present and our future.