Thursday feeling like Friday...

I am plumb wore out, or just getting old. Rode the Trusty Triumph home from work, about a quarter mile behind the young lady on the Sportster - tried to catch up, but so many autos in the way and she does ride fearlessly, I was close once. I had dinner and looked at the news, then the blogs I follow - Americans are in two or more different societies... and I am just watching mostly. I catch that someone out there is celebrating nine years of marriage and bliss - both at the same time, according to some experts that is rare - but then good things always are rare, and precious.

I was asked if I would help, and I smiled, and I helped. I could have made the bed alone, my wife could have made the bed alone - she stripped it this morning, washed everything, came home and dried it all, and then we were making the bed. I don't always do it exactly to her standards and she will come over and tighten up the corner and slap down and flatten a wrinkle that I may have left, but we did it together without much talking - we do this kind of thing often, we repeat the successful patterns that get the bed made, the food purchased and prepared, the dishes cleaned up, the cars tuned or the garden watered. We trust that each will pull their share and do their best - don't have to talk much about any of it - normally a glance or a nudge and it is an entire conversation.

My father is gone, long gone now, and the first indication that my mother's life was alone was when she declared that she hadn't realized how much he had done around their life, until he wasn't there to do it. There are times I feel alone, but I know that she is coming back or I am going home and it will be better -- alone in the midst of many, all strangers that don't love me enough for me to trust and share, not a good place to spend too much time. I like being loved but being a very cautious, shy (?), quiet man I probably miss many signals and there are rules, so I am blest that I am loved - and I know it; good marriage is like that.