Miss IC, if his default position and/or defense mechanism for years has been to "man up" and stuff/avoid all the tough emotional stuff .... that's just not going away overnight. Even if he has made great strides in being open with you about all this ... and it really sounds like he has .... whenever you push yourself to make changes and step away from how you were doing things, the rubberband of long-entrenched habit is going to snap you back to the old ways occasionally .... considering the stress he's been under, that shouldn't even be surprising. Don't be scared. He's not going away from you. He'll settle his feathers and keep going forward.
IC, far be it from me to doubt the truth of what you're saying. But I think it's very wise counsel to not make important decisions about abandoing parts of your life when you're under stress. No different from the wisdom about staying out of a rebound relationship after a breakup or death. Everything you've been through of late has got to be messing with your head, whether you think so or not. Take it into account, eh?
Hugs to both.....
"Show me a completely smooth operation and I'll show you someone who's covering mistakes. Real boats rock." -- Frank Herbert
