partner

I waited a long time to seriously date anyone, which meant I waited a long time to marry. Gregg and I both thought we might be single for the rest of our lives as we faced our mid-late thirties...alone. 

And then we met in 2009 and now we're married.

Ruby Beach, Washington, August 2012

I love many of Gregg's traits and habits and quirks, but today I'm grateful that he's truly my partner. For example, today we had a thoughtful conversation about sexual objectification and the media, after which we chatted about football. We raked and hauled leaves together, and Gregg helped me make dinner. He rearranged the bathroom shelves, and I baked dessert. He watched football; I watched Dirty Dancing.

We've approached dividing our household tasks both organically and thoughtfully. Gregg cleans the bathroom; I wash the sheets. We take turns buying groceries. I cook most of our meals except for Wednesday nights when Gregg mans the stove. We help each other when the unfolded laundry pile threatens to topple off of the dresser, or the recycling overflows the bin. 

And sometimes, we make new guidelines: whoever is last out of bed has to make the bed. 

“Knowing love or the hope of knowing love is the anchor that keeps us from falling into that sea of despair.” ― bell hooks, All About Love: New Visions