Tick Check

Just an observation:

I'm a single girl, have been for a very long time.  And while I occasionally (rarely) enjoy the company of a man, I haven't had a steady relationship in forever.  Normally, I don't dwell on it and this singleness is not something I lie awake at night thinking about.  But this past week, visiting family and friends, it was hard not to think about it.  See, my brother and his lovely wife have an amazing relationship, one forged from 30+ years of sticking together through good times and bad. Being with them for a week made me think "I want one, too!" the way one does after holding someone else's baby or playing with a puppy. In fact, there were a lot of husbands and wives for me to observe this week.  Each relationship had its own unique quality.  Some couples were young, some had been together forever, some were second marriages, some in their golden years--but all of them making it work in a way that is completely mysterious to me. One man and one woman, relying on each other, helping each other, comforting each other, and finally, marriage made sense in a way it never had before.  And you know what?  I'm kind of jealous.

Plus, there's always someone there to check for ticks.

Don't let me get started about the babies and puppies, though.  It'll be ugly.