Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for 37 years. We were separated for five years and, recently, have started spending time together again, with an interest in reuniting. But we’ve found that we get along better while he has his apartment and I have my apartment. We both really like having our independent spaces, even if we spend every night together. Do you think we should move into one apartment together, even though we are enjoying the current arrangement? — One Marriage, Two Houses

Dear OMTH: Home isn’t an address. It’s a sense of belonging you create together, under one roof or two. If the current setup works for you both, then why not continue? It’s not how things are usually done, but it’s better to be unconventional and happy than conventional and unhappy.

Dear Annie: Recently, I appreciated a letter to you so much that I cut it out and inserted it in my meditation book. “Still Learning” wrote: “Two things have caused me to be a happier person. One is dropping my expectations of others, and the other is choosing not to be offended.” The “Concerned Mother” in your recent column whose daughter didn’t invite her to stay in her home but instead wanted her to go to a hotel should be referred to this thought. Simply dropping expectations or choosing not to be offended would help her get past her frustration with her daughter in addition to helping her become a happier person. — Arlean L.

Dear Arlean: Letting go of expectations is excellent advice for “Concerned Mother” and the rest of us. I’m grateful to have such thoughtful readers as “Still Learning” and yourself.

Dear Annie: I read the letter from “The Smiths.” This couple had a nice lake house they wanted to share with visitors but were frustrated in visitors’ not bringing things. While I think it would be nice if the guests would offer to make a meal, or to pay for a meal in a restaurant, I’m appalled that someone would have guests visit and expect them to bring their own food. It seems these people want to show that they can afford a nice lake house, but don’t want to extend common courtesies that etiquette requires. — Still a Gracious Host

Dear Gracious Host: I’m grateful to hosts like yourself. I may have missed the mark in not giving the original letter writer some tough love. I received several letters echoing your sentiment.